,  CAPITALS 


x~ 


IN   CONGRESS.  JULY  4 

itnantTttou5-?cf  faroftoit  <«  «...  -«•  Stdi 


From  a  photograph  expressly  made  by  Reed  &  Wallace. 


AUTHOR'S    AUTOGRAPH    KDITION. 


_FOUR  YEARS 

IN 

REBEL  CAPITALS: 


AN  INSIDE  VIEW  OF  LIFE  IN  THE 
SOUTHERN  CONFEDERACY,  FROM  BIRTH  TO  DEATH; 

FROM  ORIGINAL  NOTES, 
COLL  A  TED  IN  THE  YEARS  1861  TO  1865. 


BY  T.  C. 

AUTHOR  OF  "CREOLE  AND  PURITAN?'  "THE  PURITAN'S  DAUGHTER," 
"JUNY,"  ETC. 


WITH  BIOGRAPHICAL  SKETCH  OF  THE  AUTHOR 
BY  Louis  DE  V.  CHAUDRON.. 


"  In  the  land  where  we  were  dreaming  !" 

— D.  B.  Lucas. 

"  I  leave  it  to  men's  charitable  speeches,  to  foreign 
nations  and  to  the  next  ages." 

— Francis  Bacon. 


MOBILE,  ALA.: 
THE  GOSSIP  PRINTING  COMPANY. 

1892. 


E 

467 
D34 


Entered  according  to  act  of  Congress,  in  the  year  1890, 

BY  THE  GOSSIP   PRINTING   COMPANY, 
In  the  office  of  the  Librarian  of  Congress  at  Washington. 


ALL  RIGHTS  RESERVED. 


PUBLISHERS'    NOTE. 


In  offering  another  new  edition  of  this  work  to  that  public  which 
has  so  graciously  received  previous  ones,  the  publishers  aim  to  meet  a 
seeming  omission  in  the  latter. 

Frequent  requests  come  to  them  from  various  parts  of  the  country, 
asking  for  Mr.  DeLeon's  photograph  and  autograph.  To  comply  with 
them  is  not  practicable  ;  and  the  present  is  made  an  "  Author's  Autograph 
Edition,"  Mr.  DeLeon  having  signed  every  one  of  the  portraits.  These 
are  the  latest  made,  from  a  photograph  taken  expressly  for  this  purpose.  Y 
Of  them  the  author  recently  wrote  : 

"  They  are  not  so  flattering  as  those  vanity-breeders,  lately  published 
by  my  good  friends  of  '  Lippincott's,'  but  they  seem  to  me  nearer  to 
the  truth  of  History  teaching  by  reflection." 

As  another  point  of  probable  interest  to  the  curious,  estimates  from 
the  widely  differing  minds  of  two  noted  people  are  appended  to  this  note. 
The  letters  of  Mrs.  Wilson  and  General  Johnson  were  printed  in  the 
current  newspapers  of  their  day.  Concreted  here,  in  form  as  they  then 
appeared,  they  may  prove  of  interest  to  the  reader  of  the  future. 

[From  the  New  Orleans  Picayune.] 

AUTHORESS  TO  AUTHOR. 

The  latest  book  written  by  Mr.  T.  C.  DeLeon,  of  Mobile,  is  called 
"  Four  Years  in  Rebel  Capitals,"  and  is  dedicated  to  Mrs.  Augusta  Evans 
Wilson,  the  famous  Southern  novelist.  That  lady  has  just  written  its 
author  the  following  characteristic  and  complimentary  letter : 

At  Home,  July  17,  1890. 
Dear  Mr.  DeLeon : 

Since  the  arrival  of  the  handsome  copy  of  "  Four  Years  in  Rebel 
Capitals,"  I  have  laid  aside  all  engagements  and  devoted  every  hour  to  the 
study  of  your  vivid  photographs  of  that  sacred  and  inexpressibly  dear 
Confederate  era,  the  bare  memory  of  which  brings  back  the  old  glow  of 
pride  in  Southern  heroism.  Accept  my  cordial  congratulations  upon  the 
polished  and  elegant  diction,  the  genuine  pathos,  the  unanswerable  logic, 
and  the  brilliant,  critical  acumen  that  characterize  your  last  and— may  I 
add  ? — incomparably  best  book. 

As  I  close  its  thrilling  pages — wherein  I  lived  over  again  the  "storm 
and  stress  "  of  those  terrible  yet  glorious  four  years — my  eyes  are  dim  and 
my  heart  throbs  with  the  proud  consciousness  that  Time,  and  his  hand- 
maid, History,  will  yet  build  shrines  and  pedestals  for  the  nameless  martyrs 

(3) 


4  Publishers'  Note. 

whose  multitudinous  graves  make  our  war-scarred  Southern  fields  a  vast 
and  veritable  Campo  Santo. 

Of  various  kind  tributes  from  many  friends,  I  think  I  shall  value  most 
your  complimentary  association  of  my  name  with  this  brilliant  record  of 
Confederate  valor  and  endurance,  which  deserves  an  honored  niche  in 
every  family  library  from  Potomac  to  Rio  Grande. 

Believing  that  the  success  of  your  book  will  prove  commensurate 
with  its  literary  value  and  historic  importance,  I  nevertheless  clasp  very 
proudly  this  sturdy  Godchild,  who,  in  performance  of  patriotic  devoir^ 
needs  no  sponsorial  aid,  and  am,  Gratefully,  your  friend, 

AUGUSTA  EVANS  WILSON. 

[From  the  Mobile  Register.} 

GENERAL  JOHNSON'S  PRAISE,  COUPLED  WITH  AN  INTERESTING 

BIT  OF  INSIDE  HISTORY  OF  THE  WAR. 

General  Bradley  T.  Johnson,  of  Baltimore,  the  famous  commander  of 
"The  Maryland  Line"  and  "Jackson's  right-hand,"  sends  a  Christmas 
greeting  to  the  author  of  "  Four  Years  in  Rebel  Capitals,"  which  has  the 
old  ring  in  it.  The  letter  is  a  personal  one,  but  the  Register  desires  its 
reproduction  for  the  double  reason  that  it  commends  a  Mobile  book,  from 
a  competent  standpoint,  and  besides  tells  a  bit  of  history  itself  : 

,.,     -,        -r>    T  Baltimore.  December  27,  1890. 

My  dear  De  Leon  : 

I  have  given  this  afternoon  to  the  enjoyment  of  the  first  eighteen 
chapters  of  the  Four  Years  ;  and  I  stop  to  thank  you  for  it. 

Such  a  graphic  picture  of  men  and  events  will  be  invaluable  to  our 
future  Macaulay,  and  to  our  posterity  will  be  above  price.  The  photo- 
graph you  give  of  Mrs.  Davis'  drawing-room  is  exquisite.  I  never  was 
there  but  once ;  just  after  second  Manassas,  when  I  marched  in — booted 
and  dirty  and  straight  from  the  train — with  a  letter  from  Jackson  to  the 
president. 

I  never  quite  knew  whether  he  liked  my  soldierly  unconventionality  ; 
for  he  may  have  thought  I  ought  to  have  presented  myself  in  better  guise 
to  the  commander -in-chief.  But  I  had  been  trained  to  believe  that 
promptness  was  the  highest  military  virtue,  so  I  lost  not  a  moment  in 
doing  what  I  was  sent  to  do. 

But  there  was  no  doubt  to  the  battle-stained  soldier,  of  what  she 

.       thought  and  felt.     She  was  glad  to  see  me  ;  and  I  believe  I  that  night 

promised  to  capture   a  Yankee   flag   for  her,    and    she   then   and   there 

captured  my  heart.     I   sent  her  the  flag  in  '64,  as  she  records  in  her 

memoirs. 

«-  *  *  *  -:;:-  *  *  *  * 

Again  thanking  you,  I  am  your  obliging  comrade, 

BRADLEY  T.  JOHNSON. 


SKETCH  OF  THE  AUTHOR 

OF 

"FOUR  YEARS  IN  REBEL  CAPITALS: 


'THOMAS  COOPER  DELEON  was  born  of  good  old  Spanish  parentage, 
-*-  at  Columbia,  South  Carolina.  His  mother  was  Miss  Rebecca  Lopez, 
and  his  father,  Dr.  M.  H.  DeLeon,  was  for  fifty  years  the  leading  physician 
of  Columbia,  one  of  the  oldest,  most  aristocratic  and  most  interesting 
towns  in  the  Palmtree  State. 

It  is  probable  that  the  cultivated  society  of  antebellum  days  in 
Columbia  developed  the  literary  tastes  of  Dr.  DeLeon's  family;  for,  of  six 
children,  of  whom  T.  C.  DeLeon  was  the  youngest,  three  became  promi- 
nent, if  not  famous,  in  the  world  of  letters. 

The  eldest  brother,  D.  Camden  DeLeon,  embraced  his  father's  profes- 
sion and  achieved  reputation  as  a  surgeon  in  the  United  States'  army 
during  the  Seminole  and  Mexican  wars.  He  was  the  first  Surgeon-General 
of  the  Confederacy,  and  was  well  known,  his  life  through,  as  a  valued  con- 
tributor to  medical  reviews. 

The  second  brother,  Edwin  DeLeon,  was  educated  for  the  bar,  but  he 
abandoned  law  for  editorial  life.  By  invitation  of  Southern  Senators 
he  went  to  Washington  in  1850,  and,  under  their  auspices,  founded 
the  Southern  Press,  an  influential  paper  of  the  day.  His  subsequent 
appointment,  by  President  Pierce,  as  Diplomatic  Agent  and  Consul- 
General  to  Egypt  is  well  known  to  the  public.  While  in  Egypt,  Edwin 
DeLeon  established  his  reputation  as  scholar  and  diplomat.  His  thought- 
ful works  on  the  Egyptian  situation,  or  puzzle,  and  Oriental  politics  and 
social  life,  are  too  familiar  to  call  for  mention  of  their  titles.  Both 
Camden  and  Edwin  DeLeon  are  dead. 

Three  sisters  come  between  these  distinguished  brothers  and  the 
subject  of  this  sketch.  One  of  them,  Agnes,  acquired  some  reputation  as 
a  translator  and  writer. 

T.  C.  DeLeon  was  named  for  Dr.  Thomas  Cooper,  who,  at  the  time  of 
DeLeon's  birth,  was  President  of  the  State  University  of  South  Carolina.     X 
Dr.  Cooper  was  an  intimate  friend  of  De  Leon's  father,  and  himself  reared 
a  family  remarkable  for  cultivation  and  brilliant  accomplishments.     So 

(5) 


6  Sketch  of  the  Author. 

it  seems  as  if  Cooper  DeLeon  —  as  he  is  familiarly  called — inherits  his 
mental  endowments,  by  dual  right,  from  both  father  and  godfather. 

His  preparatory  education  was  at  Rugby  Academy,  District  of  Columbia, 
and  subsequently  at  Georgetown  University.  The  stormy  events  of  '59 
and  '60  put  an  end  to  his  hopes  for  a  still  more  severe  course  of  university 
training.  At  Rugby  he  was  a  classmate  of  Henry  Watterson,  and  at 
Georgetown  of  J.  R.  Randall ;  the  two  men  have  been  his  lifetime  friends. 
Nothing  could  better  express  the  versatility  of  DeLeon's  talents  than  the 
following  excerpt  from  a  letter  of  Randall's,  written  several  years  ago : 

[  J.  R.  Randall,  in  Constitutionalist  of  1870.] 

"  Years  ago,  when  both  of  us  were  callow  school  boys,  the  writer  of 
this  had  the  happiness  of  playing  marbles  and  capping  verses  with  the 
managing  editor  of  the  Register,  T.  C.  DeLeon.  Compiler  of  rhymes,  a 
clever  poet  on  his  own  hook,  a  translator  of  French  fiction,  and  writer  of 
all  kinds  of  English  prose,  Colonel  DeLeon  is  at  home  wherever  pen  and 
paper  can  be  found.  If  pen  and  paper  are  in  the  vocative,  a  rusty  nail  and 
a  white  wall  will  do  as  well.  At  one  time  we  hear  of  him  negotiating  for 
the  Board  of  Trade  with  Western  railroads ;  at  another  time  leading  the 
'  German  '  at  the  Battle  House  hops.  He  is  the  man  who  started  the 
Cuba  sensation  and  gold  for  cotton  movement.  Previous  to  these  bursts 
he  had,  at  a  sitting,  penetrated  the  mysteries  of  the  Ku-Klux  Klan,  and 
sold  in  one  day  17,000  pamphlet  revelations  to  just  as  many  gulls.  He  has 
been  in  Mobile  but  six  months,  and  can  identify  every  brick  and  diagnose 
every  oyster  shell.  The  oldest  inhabitant  goes  to  him  for  instruction  in 
antiquities,  and  the  Russian  gymnast,  Pfau,  had  hints  from  him  concerning 
the  flying  trapeze.  What  DeLeon  does  not  know  is  not  worth  knowing, 
and  what  he  can  not  do  by  strategy  is  not  worth  attempting  by  force.  He 
will  not  hesitate  to  dispute  with  Albert  Stein  about  the  navigation  of  the 
Appomattox  river,  and,  if  needs  be,  trepan  the  skull  of  a  '  man  and  a 
brother '  in  the  absence  of  a  regular  surgeon.  Ready,  available,  quick- 
witted, accomplished,  rapid,  brilliant— such  is  Cooper  DeLeon.  His 
versatile  talents  and  warm  affections  were  never  more  lavishly  displayed 
than  when  the  Press  members  met  at  Mobile  and  he  wore  himself  to  a 
specter  in  their  service;  he  was  invaluable,  and  we  all  recognize  the  fact. 
It  will  not  do  to  wish  that  his  shadow  may  never  grow  less,  for  it  is  not  in 
the  memory  of  man  that  he  ever  cast  a  shadow;  but  if  good  luck'should 
desert  him  at  last,  so  that  he  miss  the  leap  into  highest  heaven,  we,  the 
petitioners,  pray  that  he  may  glide  like  a  sprite  into  the  paradise  of 
Mahomet." 

As  a  boy  at  school,  DeLeon,  together  with  Randall  and  other  literary 
lights  more  or  less  brilliant,  developed  his  taste  for  letters  and  gained 
considerable  applause.  His  verses  and  criticisms  were  published  in  the 


Sketch  of  the  Author.  7 

Literary  Messenger,  of   Richmond,  then  the   leading  magazine  of   the 
South. 

At  eighteen  years  of  age  he  was  lured  to  Washington  by  a  promise  of  y 
appointment  to  West  Point  made  him  by  Jefferson  Davis.  The  reasons 
why  Mr.  Davis  did  not  fulfill  this  promise  will  be  known  as  long  as  history 
lasts.  Davis  recognized  the  ability  of  his  protege,  however,  and  tendered 
him  a  position  which  was  confidential  and  which  associated  him  intimately 
with  his  illustrious  patron. 

It  was  a  critical  period,  that,  when  the  Young  Giant  was  quickening 
in  the  womb  of  Columbia,  Jefferson  Davis  was  watching  the  situation 
with  the  utmost  anxiety,  and  DeLeon  was  close  enough  to  him  to  be 
apprised  of  every  phase  of  the  approaching  awful  event.  When  the 
Dragon  saw  the  light,  and  its  liniaments  told  the  world  that  its  ancestry 
was  of  "  Bella  !  Horrida  Bella  !  "  DeLeon  was  sent  to  Montgomery  with 
despatches  to  assist  at  the  christening  of  the  frightful  child  whose  birth 
he  had  attended.  His  coadjuvancy  with  the  men  who  rocked  the  "  Cradle 
of  the  Confederacy"  continued  until  the  dirge  of  secession  was  sung  by 
Father  Ryan.  So  he  had  exceptional  advantages  for  the  compilation  of 
the  book  which  made  his  fame — "Four  Years  in  Rebel  Capitals."  The 
mere  mention  of  this  admirable  book  tempts  discussion  of  it ;  but  that 
must  be  deferred. 

When  the  curtain  fell  upon  the  fourth  year  and  last  act  of  the  bloody 
drama,  DeLeon,  finding  no  field  in  the  devastated  South  for  a  man  of  his 
temperament,  sought  that  Mecca  of  Americans,  New  York.  There  his 
talents  did  him  good  service,  and  his  work  on  periodicals  and  newspapers 
gained  him  reputation  at  once.  His  letters  over  the  nom  de  plume  of 
''Dunne  Browne"  have  been  models  for  newspaper  correspondents  for 
twenty  years.  Papers  from  every  point  of  the  compass  competed  for  his 
letters,  and  during  this  busy  period  he  found  time  to  collect  and  publish, 
under  the  title  of  "  South  Songs,"  the  first'systematic  arrangement  of  the 
war  poems  of  the  South.  Later  attempts  to  preserve  these  "Sagas"  of 
the  South  owe  much  to  DeLeon's  efforts  to  rescue  them  from  oblivion. 
While  in  New  York,  his  burlesque  exposure  of  the  Ku-Klux  Klan  is 
alluded  to  by  Randall  in  the  letter  quoted.  It  Hid  much  to  destroy  popu- 
lar belief  in  that  phantasm  of  the  politician's  brain.  Some  free  translations 
from  the  French  came  from  his  pen,  among  which  was  one  that  marks  the 
single  instance  in  DeLeon's  literary  career  when  he  permitted  himself  to 
use  the  ink-bottle  of  a  Zola,  or  an  Edgar  Saltus.  It  was  a  mistake,  and  for 
the  sake  of  one  who  has  always  been  clean  in  his  writing,  it  is  easy  to  for- 
get that  the  brilliant  name  of  its  author  tempted  him  to  translate  what 
may  be  called,  also,  Octave  Feuillet  mistake,  "Camors." 

During  the  memorable  "Seymour  and  Blair  "  campaign,  the  letters  of 
"  Dunne  Browne  "  attracted  so  much  attention  that  the  author  of  them 


8  Sketch  of  the  Author. 

was  offered  the  position  of  managing  editor  of  the  Mobile  Daily  Register. 
The  Register  was  the  most  powerful  Democratic  organ  of  the  South, 
and,  at  the  time,  was  edited  by  the  celebrated  John  Forsyth,  its  war 
editor,  and  a  bold  and  uncompromising  advocate  of  the  doctrine  of  State's 
rights.  DeLeon  accepted  the  offer,  and  many  of  his  articles  on  current 
politics  were  credited  to  his  famous  confrere.  Upon  the  retirement  of 
Mr.  Forsych,  DeLeon  became  editor-in-chief  and  conducted  the  paper  on 
the  lines  laid  down  by  Mr.  Forsyth,  with  whom  he  was  in  complete  har- 
mony. 

About  this  time  many  of  DeLeon's  friends  and  contemporaries  were 
making  themselves  famous  —  notably,  Watterson,  Heise,  of  Nashville, 
Randall,  at  Augusta,  Dill  and  the  two  Dimitries,  in  New  Orleans.  All  of 
them  were  working  in  a  sacred  cause,  and  all  were  potent  factors  in  the 
rejuvenation  of  the  South. 

After  the  struggle  for  white  supremacy — scarcely  less  bitter  to  the 
instinctive  aristocracy  and  the  Latin  sensibilities  of  Southerners  than 
was  their  late  defeat — DeLeon  gave  rein  to  his  cherished  desire  and  vacated 
the  tripod  for  lighter  realms  of  literature.  Successful  he  may  have  been 
in  his  chosen  paths,  but  none  the  less  was  he  mistaken,  for  he  was  born  an 
t  essayist  and  an  editor,  his  faculties  being  more  critical  and  analytical  than 
creative. 

During  his  busy  life  as  editor  and  managing  editor  of  the  Register, 
DeLeon  was  constantly  writing  articles  for  magazines  ;  demonstrating  an 
untiring  energy  and  a  faculty  for  work  that  are  almost  incomprehensible. 
His  contributions  to  Harper's,  Appleton's,  Leslie's,  Lippincott's  and  other 
periodicals  would  fill  a  volume  or  two. 

Every  author  has  his  secret  ambition,  as  every  man  has  his  hobby,  and 
Cooper  DeLeon's  aspiration  was  to  become  a  playwright.  The  remark- 
able success  of  his  burlesque  of  Hamlet,  under  the  title  of  "  Hamlet,  Ye 
Dismal  Prince,"  played  by  George  Fox  for  one  hundred  nights  in  New 
York,  when  runs  of  that  length  were  phenomenal,  drew  him  away  from 
more  serious  work  to  dramatic  writing.  Lawrence  Barrett,  George  Clarke, 
Daniel  Bandmann  and  other  celebrities  of  the  stage  accepted  his  plays 
and  presented  them  to  the  public.  "Pluck,"  "Jasper"  (a  dramatization 
of  Dickens'  ''  Edwin  Drood  ")  and  "The  Days  of  the  Commune  "  are  the 
best  known  of  DeLeon's  dramatic  works.  He  is  a  skillful  translator  from 
the  French,  and  proffered  in  English,  Sardou's  play,  from  which  Bartley 
Campbell  pilfered  his  great  jewel  scene  in  "  The  Galley  Slave."  It  is  not 
generally  known  that  Sardou  himself  is  not  original  in  this  scene,  it  being 
identical  with  one  in  "Bertrand  etRatand,"  by  the  immortal  Scribe. 

DeLeon's  fondness  for  the  drama  brought  him  into  direct  contact 
with  the  stage  through  a  lease  of  the  Mobile  Theater,  which  he  managed 
from  1873  until  1884.  During  his  career  as  a  manager,  however,  he 


Sketch  of  the  Aiithor.  9 

preserved  his  associations  with  newspapers  and  magazines,  dashing  off 
here  an  article  and  there  a  criticism  or  an  essay,  with  all  the  characteristic 
writing  instinct  of  the  man. 

After  giving  up  the  direction  of  the  Mobile  Theater,  DeLeon  devoted 
himself  to  fiction  and  historic  reminiscences.  His  first  pronounced  suc- 
cess in  the  realm  of  fiction  was  "  Creole  and  Puritan,"  a  brilliant  story 
published  in  LippincoWs  Magazine.  A  year  later  followed  "Juny:  or 
Only  One  Girl's  Story,"  which  was  not  worthy  of  its  author.  After 
"Juny,"  DeLeon  breathed  an  atmosphere  grateful  to  his  gifts,  and,  work- 
ing in  it,  gave  to  the  literature  of  the  Confederacy  "  Four  Years  in  Rebel 
Capitals."  This  remarkable  book  deserves  a  place  in  libraries  side  by 
side  with  Jefferson  Davis'  great  work.  Both  will  furnish  pabulum  for  the 
commentator  on  and  student  of  the  American  Civil  War,  as  long  as  the  war 
remains  a  matter  of  interest  to  the  world.  DeLeon's  chapters  on  Blockade  X 
Running  and  the  Finances  of  the  Confederacy  are  simply  inspirations : 
they  point  to  the  accuracy  of  the  assertion  that  he  never  should  have 
abandoned  the  chair  of  the  essayist  for  the  allurements  of  fiction  and  the 
drama. 

The  success  of  "  Four  Years  in  Rebel  Capitals"  was  instantaneous. 
The  press,  on  both  sides  of  the  ocean,  pronounced  the  book  to  be  a  price- 
less contribution  to  the  annals  of  the  Civil  War.  Its  author  modestly 
declared  it  "  nothing  but  an  attempt  at  historic  sketching ; "  but  the 
sketching  was  so  deftly  done  that  even  Mr.  Gladstone  wrote  an  autographic 
letter  commending  the  ethics  and  the  power  of  it. 

The  originality  of  the  views  presented  in  this  book,  the  calm,  judicial 
tone  in  which  the  author  discusses  his  theme,  the  touches  of  humor  and 
pathos  descriptive  of  the  awful  duel  between  the  brothers  of  the  North 
and  South,  submit  to  the  reader  the  cleanest  and  most  vivid  description  of  N/ 
the  strife  between  those  brothers  that  has  as  yet  been  given  to  the  world.  '  •  > 
The  graphic  narrative  of  the  last  sorrowful  campaign  of  the  mighty  Lee, 
and  the  story  of  the  last  sad  hours,  as  a  General,  of  that  incomparable 
man,  equal  in  pathos  anything  that  has  been  written  of  the  Great 
Emperor,  so  loved  and  feared  by  men.  Nothing  that  DeLeon  has  done  is 
comparable  to  this  book.  Randall  used  his  words  well  when  he  said  that 
it  was  "  The  prose  epic  of  the  bloody  Confederate  drama  ;  "  but  Randall 
forgot  to  add  that  it  was  no  less  historic  than  epic. 

Since  this  work  appeared,  Mr.  DeLeon  has  surrendered,  vi  et  armis,  to 
the  Siren,  Fiction.  A  sequel  to  "  Creole  and  Puritan,"  not  equal  to  that 
story,  was  published  in  Mobile.  It  was  called  "  A  Puritan's  Daughter," 
and  while  it  was  a  bright  and  pretty  romance,  it  relied  too  much,  for  motif, 
upon  the  antecedent  tale.  In  descriptive  power  of  both  scenes  and  events, 
and  in  absolute  fairness  in  weighing  the  sectional  differences  between  the 
people  of  the  North  and  South,  "A  Puritan's  Daughter  "  reaches  the  plane 


io  Sketch  of  the  Author. 

V\  -J  c  <    r  Vi*  r      •• 

occupied  by  "Creole  and  Puritan";  but  no  " sequel "  ever  achieved  the 
distinction  of,  or  equaled,  its  elder  brother. 

In  many  respects  "  A  Fair  Blockade  Breaker  "  shows  more  descriptive 
ability  than  any  of  DeLeon's  stories.  The  ride  through  the  snow  by  night 
rises  to  anything  in  "Creole  and  Puritan,"  not  forgetting,  either,  the 
scene  on  the  race-course,  based  upon  an  occurrence  of  which  Captain 
Charles  King,  soldier  and  author,  was  the  hero.  The  purpose,  too,  if  the 
term  may  be  used,  of  "A  Fair  Blockade  Breaker,"  is  better  and  more 
natural  than  that  of  any  of  Mr.  DeLeon's  romantic  fancies.  It  is  under- 
stood to  be  the  first  of  a  series  of  modern  "  Tales  of  the  Border,"  and  the 
field  is  one  in  which  much  that  is  brilliant  may  be  expected  from  the 
author  of  them.  One  point  of  superiority  in  this  first  "Tale" — the 
critics  unite  in  saying— is  the  fearless  and  unbiased  method  of  handling 
delicate  themes.  Questions  of  doctrine  and  issues  which  have  been  set- 
tled since  the  period  in  which  the  plot  is  laid,  but  which  were  burning  at 
the  time,  are  dwelt  upon  with  singular  fairness.  This,  no  doubt,  was 
what  lifted  the  fiction  from  the  literary  columns  of  many  newspapers  to 
their  editorial  pages.  Henry  Watterson  wrote  in  the  Courier-Journal: 

"  In  his  allegiance  to  his  art  Mr.  DeLeon  sacrifices  no  part  of  his 
loyalty  to  his  blood  and  birth.  The  moral  of  his  writing  is  entirely  just 
and  sound.  But  the  fact  remains — and  it  is  this  which  is  noteworthy — that 
our  interest  centers  in  a  Northern  rather  than  in  a  Southern  group  ;  and 
that,  as  for  the  author,  we  lose  all  trace  of  his  identity. 

"  He  might  be  a  Tolstoi,  or  a  TurgenefF,  if  a  Russian  could  be  suspected 
of  knowing  so  much  of  our  inner  life.  He  might  be  a  George  Sand,  or 
an  Alphonse  Daudet,  his  work  is  so  deft  and  his  personality  so  withdrawn- 
He  does  not  appear  as  a  Southerner  at  all ;  and  he  could  not  be  a 
Northerner." 

Mr.  DeLeon  has  sounded  nearly  every  note  in  the  gamut  of  literature, 
from  philosophy  to  burlesque.  Were  not  one  assured  of  the  fact,  it  would 
be  hard  to  believe  that  the  author  of  "Four  Years  in  Rebel  Capitals"  had 
evolved  the  well-known  parody  of  Amelie  Rives,  "The  Rock  or  the  Rye." 
There  is  a  vein  of  good-humored  satire,  however,  that  permeates  all  of 
DeLeon's  work ;  so,  perhaps,  that  betrays  the  author,  and  is,  to  paraphrase 
Shakespeare,  "  the  one  touch  that  makes  his  work  akin."  "  The  Rock  or 
the  Rye"  ran  to  a  twenty-eighth  edition  and  won  the  laughing  applause  of 
the  fair  young  authoress  whose  story  it  caricatured. 

DeLeon  has  invoked  the  Muse,  Thalia ;  but  he  does  not  call  himself  a 
poet.  His  best  efforts  in  lyric  verse  are  "  Asleep  with  Jackson,"  an  ode  to 
Stonewall  Jackson,  and  "Paladin  and  Poet,"  a  tribute  to  Robert  Lee  and 
Father  Ryan.  When  the  latter  was  published,  among  many  notes  and 
letters  of  approval,  Mr.  DeLeon  received  autographic  ones  from  Cardinal 
Gibbons  and  Bishop  Keene.  "  Sybilla,  A  Romaunt  of  the  Town,"  a  clever 


Sketch  of  the  Author.  1 1 

satire  in  verse  on  society,  met  with  much  success,  and  is  now  published  in 
handsome  souvenir  form. 

Mr.  DeLeon's  active  literary  life  has  not  made  of  him  an  idler  in 
material  affairs.  He  is  an  indefatigable  worker  in  everything,  commercial 
or  otherwise,  that  is  of  interest  to  the  city  of  his  choice — Mobile.  His 
strong,  incisive  pen  and  his  time  are  ever  at  the  command  of  his  towns- 
men, and  no  task  is  too  great  for  him  to  undertake  if  there  is  a  shadow  of 
hope  that  his  labor  will  redound  to  the  benefit  of  his  quaint  old  city. 

He  is  a  "  many-sided  "  man  and  delves  into  everything  but  politics. 
He  says  he  has  "  reformed  "  since  he  severed  his  connection  with  the  oldest 
and  one  of  the  most  influential  Democratic  organs  of  the  South,  the 
Register ;  yet  he  has  never  lost  his  love  for  the  craft  with  which  he  lived 
so  long ;  most  of  his  books  are  dedicated  to  members  of  it,  to  people  of 
renown  in  the  world  of  magazines  and  newspapers — and,  as  he  knows  a 
newspaper  from  the  press-room  to  the  sanctum,  he  is  a  welcomed  guest  in 
the  offices  of  every  paper  where  his  name  is  known. 

DeLeon  has  never  neglected  his  social  duties,  and  framed,  as  he  is, 
peculiarly,  for  the  discharge  of  them,  it  is  not  strange  that  his  reputation 
as  a  leader  of  the  "  German  "  was,  at  one  time,  almost  equal  to  his  name 
as  a  book-maker.  This  social  side  of  his  nature  carried  him  into  the  car- 
nivals of  the  South,  of  which  he  has  managed  a  dozen  in  as  many  cities. 

Mr.  DeLeon  is  a  bachelor.  In  person  he  is  of  medium  height,  lithe 
and  active,  and  his  face  and  nervous,  restless  temperament  point  distinctly 
to  his  Latin  origin.  In  days  of  yore  he  was  a  fair  athlete,  and  has  not 
forgotten  how  to  handle  a  foil  with  grace  and  some  danger  to  his  antago- 
nist. He  is  fond  of  good  dinners  and  is  not  averse  to  a  supper  at  the  hours 
when  Dick  Steele  used  to  think  out,  or  drink  out,  essays  for  The  Specta- 
tor. A  lover  of  good  horses  is  the  author  of  "A  Puritan's  Daughter," 
and  it  is  curious  that  an  episode  in  that  story,  based  upon  an  actual  experi- 
ence on  the  famous  Shell  road  on  Mobile  bay,  has  been  alluded  to  by 
some  press  critics  as  "  almost  life-like." 

Mr.  DeLeon's  knowledge  of  literature,  his  accurate  acquaintance  with 
current  events  and  his  bright  wit,  flavored  by  a  merry  sarcasm  that  does 
not  poison  it,  make  him  a  charming  conversationalist.  He  is  no  orator 
and  never  makes  a  speech,  but  he  is  a  good  raconteur  and  maintains  him- 
self easily  whatever  may  be  his  surroundings. 

One  thing  no  critic  can  deny  DeLeon — the  cleanliness  of  his  pen. 
With  all  his  Bohemian  nature,  his  fondness  for  pleasure  and  his  gregarious       - 
disposition,  he  has  never  permitted  himself  to  compose  anything  in  that 
sphere  of  prurient  writing  into  which,  unhappily,  have  been  enticed  so 
many  book-makers  and  book- sellers  of  the  day. 

All  that  he  does  is  pure.  His  love-making  is  invariably  sweet  and 
true ;  his  heroines  never  descend  to  sensuality,  and  his  heroes  are  not  of 


12  Sketch  of  the  Author. 

those  who  kiss  their  sweethearts  for  their  lips  alone  and  forget  that  they 
have  consciences  and  hearts. 

The  vast  majority  of  the  people  in  the  world  are  opposed  to  evil 
things,  and  the  reading  portion  of  that  majority  will  thank  DeL,eon,  who, 
in  spite  of  opportunities  to  make  money  and  a  certain  sort  of  fame  by 
befouling  his  pen,  has  consistently  and  sternly  refused,  since  "  Camors," 
to  stain  the  firesides  of  his  readers,  or  thrust  into  the  sacred  precincts  of 
their  homes  that  accursed  character  of  literature  which  excites  and  stings 
into  action  the  most  subtle  and  dangerous  passions  of  the  human  heart. 

Louis  DEV.  CHAUDRON. 


TO  MY  VALUED   FRIEND, 

MRS.  AUGUSTA   EVANS   WII^SON, 

AS  ONE  LITTLE  TOKEN  Of  APPRECIATION  OF  A   LIFE-WORK 

DEDICATE  TO  HER  SEX,  TO  HER  SECTION 

AND  TO  TRUTH, 

THESE  SKETCHES 

OF  LIFE  BEHIND  OUR  CHINESE  WALL 
ARE  INSCRIBED. 


IN  PLACE  OF  PREFACE. 


Fortunate,  indeed,  is  the  reader  who  takes  up  a  volume  without 
preface ;  of  which  the  persons  are  left  to  enact  their  own  drama  and 
the  author  does  not  come  before  the  curtain,  like  the  chorus  of  Greek 
tragedy,  to  speak  for  them. 

But,  in  printing  the  pages  that  follow,  it  may  seem  needful  to  ask 
that  they  be  taken  for  what  they  are ;  simple  sketches  of  the  inner 
life  of  "  Rebeldom" — behind  its  Chinese  wall  of  wood  and  steel — 
during  those  unexampled  four  years  of  its  existence. 

Written  almost  immediately  after  the  war,  from  notes  and  recol- 
lections gathered  during  its  most  trying  scenes,  these  papers  are  now 
revised,  condensed  and  formulated  for  the  first  time.  In  years  past, 
some  of  their  crude  predecessors  have  appeared — as  random  articles — 
in  the  columns  of  the  Mobile  Sunday  Times,  Appleton's  Journal,  the 
Louisville  Courier-Journal,  the  Philadelphia  Times  and  other  publica- 
tions. 

Even  in  their  present  condensation  and  revision,  they  claim  only 
to  be  simple  memoranda  of  the  result  of  great  events ;  and  of  their 
reaction  upon  the  mental  and  moral  tone  of  the  southern  people, 
rather  than  a  record  of  those  events  themselves. 

This  volume  aspires  neither  to  the  height  of  history,  nor  to  the 
depths  of  political  analysis ;  for  it  may  still  be  too  early  for  either,  or 
for  both,  of  these.  Equally  has  it  resisted  temptation  to  touch  on 
many  topics — not  strictly  belonging  inside  the  Southern  Capitals — 
still  vexed  by  political  agitation,  or  personal  interest.  These,  if  un- 
settled by  dire  arbitrament  of  the  sword,  must  be  left  to  Time  and 
his  best  coadjutor,  "  sober  second-thought." 

Campaigns  and  battles  have  already  surfeited  most  readers;  and 
their  details — usually  so  incorrectly  stated  by  the  inexpert — have  little 
to  do  with  a  relation  of  things  within  the  Confederacy,  as  they  then 
appeared  to  the  masses  of  her  people.  Such,  therefore,  are  simply 
touched  upon  in  outline,  where  necessary  to  show  their  reaction  upon 
the  popular  pulse,  or  to  correct  some  flagrant  error  regarding  that. 

To  the  vast  majority  of  those  without  her  boundaries — to  very 
many,  indeed,  within  them — realities  of  the  South,  during  the  war, 


6  In  Place  of  Preface. 

were  a  sealed  book.  False  impressions,  on  many  important  points, 
were  disseminated;  and  these,  because  unnoted,  have  grown  to 
proportions  of  accepted  truth.  A  few  of  them,  it  may  not  yet  be  too 
late  to  correct. 

While  the  pages  that  follow  fail  not  to  record  some  weaknesses  in 
our  people,  or  some  flagrant  errors  of  their  leaders,  they  yet  endeavor 
to  chronicle  faithfully  heroic  constancy  of  men,  and  selfless  devotion 
of  women,  whose  peers  the  student  of  History  may  challenge  that 
vaunting  Muse  to  show. 

To  prejudiced  provincialism,  on  the  one  side,  they  may  appear  too 
lukewarm ;  by  stupid  fanaticism  on  the  other,  they  may  be  called 
treasonable.  But — written  without  prejudice,  and  equally  without 
fear,  or  favor — they  have  aimed  only  at  impartial  truth,  and  at  near- 
est possible  correctness  of  narration. 

Indubitably  the  war  proved  that  there  were  great  men,  on  both 
/  the  sides  to  it ;  and,  to-day,  the  little  men  on  either — "May  profit 
by  their  example.  If  this  be  treason,  make  the  most  of  it ! " 

The  sole  object  kept  in  view  was  to  paint  honestly  the  inner  life 
of  the  South ;  the  general  tone  of  her  people,  under  strain  and  priva- 
tion unparalleled ;  the  gradual  changes  of  society  and  character  in 
the  struggling  nation — in  a  clear,  unshaded  outline  of  things  as  they 
were. 

Should  this  volume  at  all  succeed  in  giving  this  ;  should  it  uproot 
one  false  impression,  to  plant  a  single  true  one  in  its  place,  then  has 

it  fully  equaled  the  aspiration  of 

THE   AUTHOR. 
MOBILE,  ALA.,  June  25,  1890. 


TABLE  OF  CONTENTS, 


PAGE. 

CHAPTER  I.— THE  FOREHEAD  OF  THE  STORM 11-20 

Washington  City  in  1861. — Her  two  Social  Circles — Was  she  a  new 
Sodom? — Lobbyists  and  Diplomats — Eve  of  the  Storm — Echo  from 
Charleston  Harbor — A  Dinner  and  a  Ball — Popular  Views  of  the  Situa- 
tion— Buchanan's  Policy  and  the  "  Peace  Congress" — Separation  a  Cer- 
tainty— Preparations  for  the  Hejira — Precautions  for  Lincoln's  Inaugu- 
ration— Off  for  Dixie. 

CHAPTER  II.— THE  CRADLE  OF  THE  CONFEDERACY 21-29 

Through  Richmond,  the  Carolinas  and  Georgia — Wayside  Notes — 
The  Masses  Willing  but  Unprepared — Where  were  the  Leaders? — The 
First  Capital — A  New  Flag — Hotels  and  their  Patrons — Jefferson  Davis 
— The  Man  and  the  Government — Social  Matters — The  Curbstone  Con- 
gress— Early  Views  of  the  Struggle — A  Notable  "  Mess." 

CHAPTER  III.— CONGRESS  AND  CABINET 3°-35 

Bloodless  Revolution — Glances  at  the  Congress — Its  Personnel  and  its 
Work — Party  Hacks  in  Place — Wind  vs.  Work — What  People  said  of 
the  Solons — The  New  Cabinet — Heads  of  Departments  Sketched— -The 
President's  Advisers — Popular  Opinion — The  First  Gun  at  Sumter. 

CHAPTER  IV.— "THE  AWAKENING  OF  THE  LION." 36-41 

Sumter's  Effect  on  Public  Feeling — Would  There  be  a  Long  War — 
or  any? — Organizing  an  Army — The  Will  of  the  People — How  Women 
Worked — The  Camps  a  Novel  Show — Mr.  Davis  handles  Congress — 
His  Energy  and  Industry — Society  and  the  Strangers — Joy  over  Vir- 
ginia's Secession. 

CHAPTER  V.— A  SOUTHERN  RIVER  BOAT  RACE 42-48 

An  Alabama  Steamer — General  Van  Dorn — What  River  Travel  is— 
A  Calliope  and  its  Master — Banter  for  a  Race — Excitement  of  all  on 
Board — A  Close  Shave — Neck  and  Neck — How  a  Race  is  Won — A 
Unique  Toast. 

CHAPTER  VI. — BOAT  LIFE  AFLOAT  AND  AGROUND 49~:S 

Time-killers  on  the  River — Negro  Boat-hands — Cotton  Loading  from 
Slides — Overboard  ! — "  Fighting  the  Tiger  " — Hard  Aground  ! — Delay 
and  Depression — Admiral  Raphael  Semmes — News  of  the  Baltimore 
Riot — Speculation  as  to  its  Results. 


ii  Table  of  Contents. 

PAGE. 

CHAPTER  VII.— MOBILE,  THE  GULF  CITY S4-5& 

Echo  from  Maryland — Alabama's  Preparation — Mobile's  Crack  Corps 
— John  Forsyth  on  the  Peace  Commissioners — Mobile  Society — Pleas- 
ure-lovers and  Their  Pleasures — A  Victim  of  the  Tiger — Two  Moral 
Axioms. 

CHAPTER  VIII.— NEW  ORLEANS,  THE  CRESCENT  CITY 59-68. 

Location  and  Commercial  Importance — Old  Methods  of  Business — 
Relations  of  Planter  and  Factor — A  Typical  Brokerage  House — Secure 
Reliance  on  European  Recognition  and  the  Kingship  of  Cotton — Yel- 
low Jack  and  his  Treatment — French  Town  and  American — Hotels  of 
the  Day — Home  Society  and  "The  Heathen  " — Social  Customs — Creole 
Women's  Taste — Cuffee  and  Cant — Early  Regiments  and  Crack  Com- 
panies— Judges  of  Wine — A  Champion  Diner. 

CHAPTER  IX.— A  CHANGE  OF  BASE 69-74. 

The  Pensacola  Army — Review  by  President  Davis — Orders  for  Vir- 
ginia— Breaking  Camp  on  the  Gulf — The  Start  of  the  Zouaves — They 
Capture  a  Train  and  a  City — Pursuit  and  Recapture — The  Riot  and 
its  Lesson — Early  Ideas  of  Discipline. 

CHAPTER  X.— EN  ROUTE  FOR  THE  BORDER 75-8J. 

Decision  to  Move  the  Capital — Lax  Precautions — The  New  York 
"Tribune"  Dispatch — Montgomery  Murmurs — Troops  en  roztie,  and 
their  Feelings — The  Government  on  Wheels — Kingsville  Misnomer — 
Profanity  and  Diplomacy  —  Grimes'  Brother-in-law — With  the  C.  S. 
Mail-bags. 

CHAPTER  XI.— ON  TO  RICHMOND 84-92 

A  Typical  Southron — Sentiment  in  the  Ranks — Glimpse  of  the  new 
Capital — The  Inflowing  Caravans — Hotels  and  Boarding-houses — City 
and  Surroundings — A  Southern  Poet — A  Warning  in  Statuary — Holly- 
wood Cemetery — The  Tredegar  Works — Their  Importance  in  the  War 
— 'T'other  Consarn! 

CHAPTER  XII. — SETTLING  TO  THE  REAL  WORK 93-101 

Regulars  of  the  States — Virginia  Sentiment — Unanimity  of  Purpose 
— Lee  and  Johnston — Esprit  de  Corps — Centering  on  Virginia — Varied 
Types  of  Different  States — The  Marylanders  at  the  South — Mixed 
Equipments  and  "  Properties  " — Doubtful  Points — Norfolk  to  Manassas 
— Where  the  Battle  Ground  would  be — Missouri's  First  Move. 

CHAPTER  XIII.— THE  LEADERS  AND  THE  LED 102-110 

General  Lee  comes  to  the  Front — Mr.  Davis'  Labors  and  Responsi- 
bilities— His  Personal  Popularity — Social  Feeling  at  the  new  Capital — 


Table  of  Contents.  \\\ 

PAGE. 

*'  Pawnee  Sunday"  Panic — Richmond  Society — An  After-dinner  Object 
Lesson — How  Good  Blood  did  not  Lie — Western  Virginia — Society's 
Pets  go  to  the  Front — "The  Brave  at  Home." 

CHAPTER  XIV.— THE  BAPTISM  OF  BLOOD 111-121 

The  First  War  Bulletin — How  Richmond  received  It — Practical 
Result  of  Bethel — Earnest  Work  in  Government  Bureaux — Thunder 
from  a  Clear  Sky — Shadows  follow  Rich  Mountain — Carthago  delenda! 
— Popular  Cemparison  of  Fighting  Qualities — The  "  On-to-Richmond  !  " 
Clangor — The  Southern  Pulse — "  Beware  of  Johnston's  Retreats  t " 
Bull  Run — The  Day  before  Manassas — Waiting ! 

CHAPTER  XV.— AFTER  MANASSAS '122-128 

How  Rumors  came — Jubilation  and  Revulsion — Anxiety  for  News — 
The  Decisive  Charge — An  Austrian  View — The  President's  Return — 
His  Speech  to  the  People — The  First  Train  of  Wounded — Sorrow  and 
Consolation — How  Women  Worked — Material  and  Moral  Results  of 
Manassas — Spoils  and  Overconfidence — Singular  Errors  in  Public  Mind 
— General  Belief  in  Advance — The  Siesta  and  its  Dreams. 

CHAPTER  XVI. — THE  SPAWN  OF  LETHARGY 129-138 

Reaction  of  Sentiment — Conflicting  Ideas  about  Inaction — Popular 
Wish  for  Aggressive  War — Sentiment  settles  to  Fact — Mr.  Davis' 
Attitude  to  Johnston  and  Beauregard — After-battle  Confusion — Strateg- 
ic Reasons — Inaction  breeds  grave  Discontent — Effect  on  the  Army — 
Sober  Second  Thought — Government  Use  of  the  Lull — Bombast  and 
Sense — A  Glance  North — The  Western  Outlook — John  B.  Floyd. 

CHAPTER  XVII.— FROM  COURT  TO  CAMP 139-146 

A  Winter's  Inaction  and  Effects — Comforts  and  Homesickness — 
Unseen  Foes  and  Their  Victory — Care  and  Cleanliness — Nostalgia — 
Camp  Morality — Record  of  the  "  Cracks  " — In  a  Maryland  Mess — 
Mud  and  Memories — Has  History  a  Parallel? — Old  Cavaliers  and  New. 

CHAPTER  XVIII.— SOCIETY  AT  THE  CAPITAL i47-*57 

Richmond  Overflowing — Variety  of  Visitors — Gradual  Growth  of 
Gayety — "  Danceable  Teas  " — Amateur  Benefits — "Youth  at  the  Helm" 
— A  Society  Woman's  View — Social  Theories  and  Practice — Virginian 
Hospitality — Quieter  Sociability — The  Presidential  Household — Mr. 
and  Mrs.  Davis — Formal  Levees — Social  Ethics — Dissipation — Disap- 
pointing Solons. 

CHAPTER  XIX.— DAYS  OF  DEPRESSION 158-165 

Reverses  on  All  Lines — Zollicoffer's  Death — Mr.  Benjamin,  Secre- 
tary of  War — Transportation  Dangers — The  Tennessee  River  Forts — 


iv  Talk  of  Contents. 

PAGE- 

Forrest  and  Morgan — Gloom  follows  Nashville's  Fall — Government 
Blamed  by  People — The  Permanent  Government — Mr.  Davis'  Typical 
Inaugural — Its  Effect  and  Its  Sequence — Cabinet  Changes. 

CHAPTER  XX. — FROM  SHILOH  TO  NEW  ORLEANS 166-17^ 

Sunshine  and  Shadow — Clouds  gather  in  the  West — Island  No.  10 — 
Shiloh — Illustrative  Valor — Deep  Depression — Was  Johnston  hounded 
to  His  Death  ? — Fall  of  New  Orleans — Odd  Situation  of  Her  Captors — 
Butler  in  Command — His  Place  in  Southern  Opinion — Strategic  Results 
— Popular  Discontent — Effect  on  the  Fighters — Butler  and  the  Women 
— Louisiana  Soldiers. 

CHAPTER  XXL— THE  CONSCRIPTION  AND  ITS  CONSEQUENCES    .   .   .174-188 

The  "  More  Men  !  "  cry — Passage  of  the  Act — State  Troops  Turned 
Over — Appointment  of  Generals — Longings  for  Home  —  Exemptions 
and  "Details"  —  The  Substitute  Law  —  Mr.  Davis'  Wisdom  Vindi- 
cated— Governor  Joe  Brown  kicks — State  Traits  of  the  Conscripts — 
Kentucky's  Attitude — Tennessee's  "  Buffaloes  " — The  "  Union  Feeling  " 
Fallacy — Conscript  Camps  —  Morals  of  the  "New  Ish  " — Food  and 
Money  Scarcer — Constancy  of  the  Soldiers— The  Extension  Law — 
Repeal  of  the  Substitute  Act — Home-Guards — "The  Cradle  and  the 
Grave." 

CHAPTER  XXII.— WAITING  THE  ORDEAL  BY  COMBAT 189-197 

The  North  Prepares  a  New  "On  to  Richmond." — Joe  Johnston's 
Strategy — From  Manassas  to  Richmond — Magruder's  Lively  Tactics — 
The  Defenders  Come — Scenes  of  the  March  Through — A  Young  Vet- 
eran— Public  Feeling — Williamsburg's  Echo — The  Army  of  Specters — 
Ready !— Drewry's  Bluff—  The  Geese  Fly  South— Stern  Resolve ! 

CHAPTER  XXIII.— AROUND  RICHMOND 198-206- 

Seven  Pines — War  at  the  Very  Gates — Harrowing  Scenes — Woman's 
Heroism — Crowded  Hospitals — A  Lull — Jackson's  Meteor  Campaign — 
Ashby  Dead!— The  Week  of  Blood— Southern  Estimate  of  McClel- 
lan — What  "Might  Have  Been" — Richmond  Under  Ordeal — "The 
Battle  Rainbow"  —  Sad  Sequelce — Real  Sisters  of  Mercy  —  Beautiful 
Self-sacrifice. 

CHAPTER  XXIV. — ECHOES  OF  SEVEN  DAYS,  NORTH  AND  SOUTH  .  207-214. 

Confederates  Hopeful,  but  Not  Overconfident  —  The  Cost  to  the 
North — McClellan  Sacrificed — General  Pope  and  His  Methods — He 
"Finds"  Jackson  at  Cedar  Mountain — A  Glance  Trans-Allegheny — 
Well-Conceived  Federal  Programme  —  General  Bragg's  Unpopular- 
ity— To  the  Ohio  and  Back — Would-be  Critics — Flashes  illumine  the 
Clouds — Kentucky  Misrepresented. 


Table  of  Contents.  v 

PAGE. 

CHAPTER  XXV.— THB  WAR  IN  THE  WEST 215-222 

A  Gloomy  Outlook — Lone  Jack — "The  Butcher,  McNeil" — Corinth 
and  Murfreesboro — Their  Bloody  Cost — The  Cry  Wrung  from  the  Peo- 
ple— Mr.  Davis  stands  Firm — Johnston  relieves  Bragg — The  Emanci- 
pation Proclamation — Magruder's  Galveston  Amphiboid — The  Atlantic 
Seaboard — Popular  Estimate  of  the  Status — Hope  for  the  New  Year. 

CHAPTER  XXVI.— THE  FAILURE  OF  FINANCE 223-229  ' 

Was  Cotton  really  King? — How  it  Might  have  been  Made  So — 
Government's  Policy — Comparison  with  Northern  Finance — Why  the 
South  believed  in  her  Advantage — How  the  North  buoyed  up  her. 
Credit — Contractors  and  Bondholders— Fefciing  at  the  South  on  the 
Money_Que*tion — Supply  and  Demand  for  r  \\\\  i^Tlinli  in  I  nil  Tfi"  Tn — 
Rapid  Depreciation. 

CHAPTER  XXVII.— DOLLARS,  CENTS  AND  LESS 230-240 


Results  of  Inflation — Comparative  Cost  of  Living  North  and  South 
— How  Army  and  Officials  were  Paid — Suffering  enhances  Distrust — 
Barter  Currency — Speculation's  Vultures — The  Auction- Craze — Hoard- 
ing Supplies — Gambling — Richmond  Faro-banks — Men  met  There- 
Death  of  Confederate  Credit — The  President  and  Secretary  held  to 
Account — Nothing  but  Mismanagement. 

CHAPTER  XXVIII.— ACROSS  THE  POTOMAC  AND  BACK 241-250 

Precedents  of  the  First  Maryland  Campaign — Jackson  strikes  Pope — 
Second  Manassas — Why  was  Victory  not  Pushed? — The  People  demand 
Aggressive  Warfare — Over  the  River — Harper's  Ferry  falls — Elation  at 
the  South — Rosy  Prophecies  —  Sharpsburg — The  River  Recrossed  — 
Gloom  in  Richmond — Fredericksburg  and  its  Effect  on  the  People — Why 
^on  Pursuit? — Hooker  replaces  Burnside — Death  of  Stonewall  Jackson. 

CHAPTER  XXIX.— OVER  AGAIN  TO  GETTYSBURG 251-258 

Popular  Grief  for  Jackson — Again  to  the  River — Winchester  and  her 
Women — The  People  Rejoice  at  the  Advance — Public  Belief  in  its  Re- 
sult— Washington  to  Fall ;  the  War  to  End — The  Prelude  to  Disaster. 
— Second  Day  at  Gettysburg — Pickett's  Wonderful  Charge — Some  one: 
has  Blundered  ?  How  the  Story  came  South — Revulsion  and  Discon- 
tent— Lee  not  Blamed — Strictures  on  Non-retaliation — The  Marylanders. 

CHAPTER  XXX.— THE  CONFEDERACY  AFLOAT 259-25^ 

Who  the  Southern  Sailors  were — Regular  and  Provisional  Navy-bills 
—  Popular  Estimate  of  Mr.  Mallory — Iron-clads  vs.  Cruisers  —  The 
Parole  of  "Pirate  Semmes"  —  What  Iron-clads  might  have  done — 
Treasury  and  Navy — The  "Merrimac" — Virginia  Fight  in  Hampton 
Roads — The  White-flag  Violation — Those  wonderful  Wooden  Shells — 
Other  flashing  Achievements — Comparison  of  the  two  Navies — Doubtful 


vi  Table  of  Contents. 


PACK. 


Torpedo  Results — Summing  up  the  Hue-and-Cry — Nashville  and  New 
Orleans — The  Tatnall-"  Virginia"  Court-martial — Who  did  More  than 
They? 

CHAPTER  XXXI.— THE  CHINESE  WALL  BLOCKADE,  ABROAD  AND  AT 

HOME r.  7 272-287 

Foundation  Errors — Lost  Opportunity — The  Treaty  of  Paris  View — 
First  Southern  Commissioners — Doubts — The  Mason-Slidell  Incident — 
Mr.  Benjamin's  Foreign  Policy — DeLeon's  Captured  Despatches — Mur- 
murs Loud  and  Deep— England's  Attitude — Other  Great  Powers — Mr. 
Davis*  View — "If" — Interest  of  the  Powers — The  Optimist  View — 
Production  and  Speculation — Blockade  Companies — Sumptuary  Laws 
— Growth  of  Evil  Power — Charleston  and  Savannah — Running  the 
Fleet  at  Wilmington — Demoralization  and  Disgust — The  Mississippi 
Closed — Vicksburg — "Running  the  Bloc."  on  the  Border — The  Spy 
System — Female  Agents. 

CHAPTER  XXXII. — PRESS,  LITERATURE  AND  ART 288-301 

Newspapers  North  and  South — Ability  Differently  Used — Reasons 
Therefor — Criticism  of  Affairs ;  its  Effect — Magazines  and  their  Clien- 
tele— Prose  Writers  ante  bellum — Rebel  \Var  Rhymes — Origin  and 
Characteristics — The  Northern  "National  Hymn" — Famous  Poets  and 
Their  Work — Dirge  Poetry  and  Prison  Sengs — Father  Ryan  and  the 
Catholic  Church — "Furled  Forever!" — Musical  Taste — How  Songs 
were  Utilized — Military  Bands — Painters  and  Paintings — No  Southern 
Art — A  Few  Noted  Pictures. 

CHAPTER  XXXIII.— WIT  AND  HUMOR  OF  THE  WAR 302-315 

Strange  Laughter — The  Confederate  "Mother  Goose" — Travesty 
and  Satire — The  "Charles  Lamb  "of  Richmond — Camp  Wit — Novel 
Marriage — A  "Skirmisher" — Prison  Humor — Even  in  Vicksburg! — 
Sad  Bill-of-Fare — Northern  Misconception — Richmond  Society  Wit — 
The  "  Mosaic  Club"  and  its  Components — Innes  Randolph's  Forfeit — 
The  Colonel's  Breakfast  Horror — Post-surrender  Humor — Even  the 
Emancipated. 

CHAPTER  XXXIV.— THE  BEGINNING  OF  THE  END 316-326 

Gradual  Weakening  of  the  South — The  Wearing-out  Process — Sequeloe 
of  Vicksburg  and  Gettysburg — Congress  vs.  President — Mr.  Foote  and 
his  Following — Drain  of  Men  and  Material — Home  Guards — The 
"Speculator  Squad  " — Dire  Straits  in  Camp  and  Home — Carpet  Blank- 
ets— Raids  and  their  Results — Breaking  down  of  Cavalry  Mounts — 
Echoes  of  Morgan's  Ohio  Dash — His  Bold  Escape — Cumberland  Gap 
— A  Glance  at  Chickamauga — "The  Might  Have  Been"  Once  More — 
Popular  Discontent — General  Grant  Judged  by  his  Compeers — Long- 
street  at  Knoxville — Missionary  Ridge — President's  Views  and  People's 


Table  of  Contents.  vii 

PACK. 

— Again  the  Virginia  Lines — Skirmish  Depletion — Desertions — "  Kir- 

by-Smithdom." 
CHAPTER  XXXV.— THE  UPPER  AND  NETHER  MILLSTONES  ....  327-335 

"Crushing  the  Spine  of  Rebellion" — Grant's  Quadruple  Plan — The 
Western  Giant — Why  its  Back  Broke — Delenda  est  Atlanta! — Grant  be- 
comes the  Upper  Millstone — Men  and  Means  Unstinted — Dahlgren's 
Raid— The  South's  Feeling— The  Three  Union  Corps— War  in  the 
Wilderness — Rumors  North  and  South — Spottsylvania — Still  to  the 
Left! — Cold  Harbor  Again — The  "Open  Door"  Closed — Glance  at 
Grant's  Campaign — Cost  of  Reaching  McClellan's  Base — Sledge-Ham- 
mer  Strategy — Solemn  Joy  in  Richmond. 

CHAPTER  XXXVI. — "THE  LAND  OF  DARKNESS  AND  THE  SHADOW  OF 

DEATH" '. 336-346 

Comparison  of  Numbers — The  Ratio  of  Loss — The  Process  of  Attri- 
tion— Stuart's  Last  Fight — The  River  Approaches — Beauregard 
"bottles"  Butler — Grant  sits  down  Before  Petersburg — "Swapping 
with  Boot" — Feeling  of  the  Southern  People — The  Lines  in  Georgia — 
Military  Chess — Different  Methods  of  Sherman  and  Grant — Southern 
View — Public  Confidence  in  Johnston — Hood  relieves  Him — How  Re- 
ceived by  the  People — The  Army  Divided — "The  Back  Door  "Opened 
at  Last! — Mr.  Davis  visits  Hood's  Army — The  Truce  and  the  Chances 
— On  the  Rack. 

CHAPTER  XXXVIL— DIES  IR;E— DIES  ILLA! 347-359 

The  Lull  at  Petersburg — Strain  on  Army  and  People — North  and 
South  Waiting — Fears  for  Richmond — After  Atlanta — Peace  Proposi- 
tions— Mr.  Davis'  Attitude — Mr.  Stephens'  Failure  at  Fortress  Mon- 
roe— Hood's  Fatal  Move — Results  of  Franklin — Strange  Gayeties  in 
Richmond — From  the  Dance  to  the  Grave — "  Starvations"  and  Theat- 
ricals— Evacuation  Rumors — Only  Richmond  Left — Joe  Johnston  Rein- 
stated— Near  Desperation  —  Grant  Strikes — The  News  in  Church- 
Evacuation  Scenes — The  Mob  and  the  Stores — Firing  Warehouses — 
The  Last  Reb  Leaves— Fearful  Farewells — Dead! 

CHAPTER  XXXVIIL— AFTER  THE  DEATH-BLOW  WAS  DEALT    .   .  .360-372 

The  Form  of  Surrender — Federals  march  In — Richmond  in  Flames— 
Blue-Coats  fight  the  Fire — Sad  Scenes — Automatic  Shelling — Disci- 
pline Wins — At  the  Provost-Marshal's — A  City  of  the  Dead — Starva- 
tion phis  Suspense — The  Tin-Can  Brigade — Drawing  Rations — Rumors 
and  Reality — The  First  Gray  Jacket  returns — General  Lee  re-enters 
Richmond — Woman,  the  Comforter — Lincoln's  Assassination — Result- 
ing Rigors — Baits  for  Sociability — How  Ladies  acted — Lectures  by  Old 
Friends — The  Emigration  Mania — Fortunate  Collapse  of  Agreement — 
The  Negro's  Status — To  Work,  or  Starve — Woman's  Aid — Dropping 
the  Curtain. 


FOUR  YEARS  IN  REBEL  CAPITALS. 


CHAPTER  I. 

THE    FOREHEAD    OF    THE   STORM. 

The  cloud  no  bigger  than  a  man's  hand  had  risen. 

It  became  visible  to  all  in  Washington  over  the  southern  horizon. 
All  around  to  East  and  West  was  but  the  dull,  dingy  line  of  the 
storm  that  was  soon  to  burst  in  wild  fury  over  that  section,  leaving 
only  seared  desolation  in  its  wake.  Already  the  timid  and  wary 
began  to  take  in  sail  and  think  of  a  port;  while  the  most  reckless 
looked  from  the  horizon  to  each  other's  faces,  with  restless  and  uneasy 
glances. 

In  the  days  of  1860,  as  everybody  knows,  the  society  of  Washing- 
ton city  was  composed  of  two  distinct  circles,  tangent  at  no  one 
point.  The  larger,  outer  circle  whirled  around  with  crash  and  fury 
several  months  in  each  year ;  then,  spinning  out  its  centrifugal  force, 
flew  into  minute  fragments  and  scattered  to  extreme  ends  of  the  land. 
The  smaller  one — the  inner  circle — revolved  sedately  in  its  accus- 
tomed grooves,  moving  no  whit  faster  for  the  buzz  of  the  monster 
that  surrounded  and  half  hid  it  for  so  long;  and  when  that  spun  itself 
to  pieces  moved  on  as  undisturbed  as  Werther's  Charlotte. 

The  outer  circle  drew  with  it  all  the  outside  population,  all  the 
"dwellers  in  tents,"  from  the  busiest  lobbyman  to  the  laziest  looker- 
on.  All  the  "hotel  people" — those  caravans  that  yearly  poured 
unceasing  into  the  not  too  comfortable  caravanserai  down  town — 
stretched  eager  hands  toward  this  circle;  for,  to  them,  it  meant 
Washington.  Having  clutched  an  insecure  grasp  upon  its  rim,  away 
they  went  with  a  fizz  and  a  spin,  dizzy  and  delighted — devil  take  the 
hindmost !  Therein  did  the  thousand  lobbyists,  who  yearly  came  to 
roll  logs,  pull  wires  and  juggle  through  bills,  find  their  congenial 
prey. 


12  Four  Years  in  Rebel  Capitals. 

Who  shall  rise  up  and  write  the  secret  history  of  that  wonderful 
committee  and  of  the  ways  and  means  it  used  to  prey  impartially 
upon  government  and  client?  Who  shall  record  the  "deeds  without 
a  name,"  hatched  out  of  eggs  from  the  midnight  terrapin;  the  strange 
secrets  drawn  out  by  the  post-prandial  corkscrew  ?  Who  shall  justly 
calculate  the  influence  the  lobby  and  its  workings  had  in  hastening 
that  inevitable,  the  war  between  the  states? 

Into  this  outer  circle  whirled  that  smaller  element  which  came  to 
the  Capital  to  spend  money — not  to  make  it.  Diamonds  flash,  point 
lace  flounces  flaunt !  Who  will  stop  that  mighty  whirligig  to  inspect 
whether  the  champagne  is  real,  or  the  turtle  is  prime  ? 

Aliens!  lejeu  estfait! 

Camp-followers  and  hangers-on  of  Congress,  many  of  its  members 
from  the  West,  claim  agents  from  Kansas,  husbandless  married 
women  from  California  and  subterranean  politicians  from  everywhere 
herein  found  elements  as  congenial  as  profitable.  All  stirred  into  the 
great  olla  podrida  and  helped  to  "  Make  the  hell  broth  boil  and 
bubble." 

The  inner  circle  was  the  real  society  of  Washington.  Half  sub- 
merged for  half  of  each  year  by  accumulating  streams  of  strangers,  it 
ever  rose  the  same — fresh  and  unstained  by  deposit  from  the  baser 
flood.  Therein,  beyond  doubt,  one  found  the  most  cultured  coteries, 
the  courtliest  polish  and  the  simplest  elegance  that  the  drawing-rooms 
of  this  continent  could  boast.  The  bench  and  the  bar  of  the  highest 
court  lent  their  loftiest  intellects  and  keenest  wits.  Careful  selections 
were  there  from  Congress  of  those  who  held  senates  on  their  lips  and 
kept  together  the  machinery  of  an  expanding  nation;  and  those 
"rising  men,"  soon  to  replace,  or  to  struggle  with  them,  across  the 
narrow  Potomac  near  by.  To  this  society,  too,  the  foreign  legations 
furnished  a  strong  element.  Bred  in  courts,  familiar  with  the  theories 
of  all  the  world,  these  men  must  prove  valuable  and  agreeable  addi- 
tion to  any  society  into  which  they  are  thrown. 

It  is  rather  the  fashion  just  now  to  inveigh  against  foreigners  in 
society,  to  lay  at  their  door  many  of  the  peccadilloes  that  have  crept 
into  our  city  life ;  but  the  diplomats  are,  with  rare  exceptions,  men  of 
birth,  education  and  of  proved  ability  in  their  own  homes.  Their 
ethics  may  be  less  strict  than  those  which  obtain  about  Plymouth 
Rock,  but  experience  with  them  will  prove  that,  however  loose  their 


Four  Years  in  Rebel  Capitals.  13 

own  code,  they  carefully  conform  to  the  custom  of  others ;  that  if 
they  have  any  scars  across  their  morals,  they  have  also  the  tact  and 
good  taste  to  keep  them  decorously  draped  from  sight. 

In  the  inner  circle  of  Washington  were  those  officers  of  the  army 
and  navy,  selected  for  ability  or  service — or  possibly  "by  grace  of 
cousinship" — to  hold  posts  near  the  government;  and,  with  full  allow- 
ance for  favoritism,  some  of  these  were  men  of  culture,  travel  and 
attainment — most  of  them  were  gentlemen.  And  the  nucleus,  as  well 
as  the  amalgam  of  all  these  elements,  was  the  resident  families  of  old 
Washingtonians.  These  had  lived  there  so  long  as  to  be  able  to  win- 
now the  chaff  and  throw  the  refuse  off. 

There  has  ever  been  much  talk  about  the  corruption  of  Washing- 
ton, easy  hints  about  Sodom,  with  a  general  sweep  at  the  depravity  of 
its  social  system.  But  it  is  plain  these  facile  fault-finders  knew  no 
more  of  its  inner  circle — and  for  its  resident  society  only  is  any  city 
responsible — than  they  did  of  the  court  of  the  Grand  Turk.  Such 
critics  had  come  to  Washington,  had  made  their  "  dicker,"  danced  at 
the  hotel  hops,  and  been  jostled  on  the  Avenue.  If  they  essayed 
an  entrance  into  the  charmed  circle,  they  failed. 

Year  after  year,  even  the  Titans  of  the  lobby  assailed  the  gates  of 
that  heaven  refused  them ;  and  year  after  year  they  fell  back,  baffled 
and  grommelling,  into  the  pit  of  that  outer  circle  whence  they  came.  ~J> 
Yet  every  year,  especially  in  the  autumn  and  spring,  behind  that 
Chinese  wall  was  a  round  of  entertainments  less  costly  than  the 
crushes  of  the  critic  circle,  but  stamped  with  quiet  elegance  aped  in 
vain  by  the  non-elect.  And  when  the  whirl  whirled  out  at  last,  with 
the  departing  Congress ;  when  the  howling  crowd  had  danced  its  mad 
carmagnole  and  its  vulgar  echoes  had  died  into  distance,  then  Wash- 
ington  society  was  itself  again.  Then  the  sociality  of  intercourse — 
that  peculiar  charm  which  made  it  so  unique — became  once  more  free 
and  unrestrained. 

Passing  from  the  reek  of  a  hotel  ball,  or  the  stewing  soiree  of  a 
Cabinet  secretary  into  the  quiet  salon  of  a  West  End  home,  the  very 
atmosphere  was  different,  and  comparison  came  of  itself  with  that  old 
Quartier  Saint  Germain,  which  kept  undefiled  from  the  pitch  that 
smirched  its  Paris,  through  all  the  hideous  dramas  of  the  bonnet  rouge. 

The  influence  of  political  place  in  this  country  has  long  spawned  a 
social  degradation.  Where  the  gift  is  in  the  hands  of  a  fixed  power, 


14  Four  Years  in  Rebel  Capitals. 

its  seeking  is  lowering  enough ;  but  when  it  is  besought  from  the 
enlightened  voter  himself,  "the  scurvy  politician"  becomes  a  reality 
painfully  frequent.  Soliciting  the  ballot  over  a  glass  of  green  corn 
juice  in  the  back  room  of  a  country  grocery,  or  flattering  the  caret 
sposa  of  the  farmhouse,  with  squalling  brat  upon  his  knee,  is  scarcely 
calculated  to  make  the  best  of  men  more  of  *'  an  ornament  to  society. " 
Constant  contact  with  sharpers  and  constant  effort  to  be  sharper  than 
they  is  equally  as  apt  to  blunt  his  sense  of  delicacy  as  it  is  to  unfit  one 
for  higher  responsibilities  of  official  station.  So  it  was  not  unnatural 
that  that  society  of  Washington,  based  wholly  on  politics,  was  not 
found  wholly  clean.  But  under  the  seething  surface — first  visible  to 
the  casual  glance — was  a  substratum  as  pure  as  it  was  solid  and 
unyielding. 

Habitues  of  twenty  years  remarked  that,  with  all  the  giddy  whirl 
of  previous  winters  in  the  outer  circle,  none  had  approached  in  mad 
rapidity  that  of  1860-61.  The  rush  of  aimless  visiting,  matinees  and 
dinners,  balls  and  suppers,  followed  each  other  without  cessation- 
dress  and  diamonds,  equipage  and  cards,  all  cost  more  than  ever 
before.  This  might  be  the  last  of  it,  said  an  uneasy  sense  of  the 
coming  storm ;  and  in  the  precedent  sultriness,  the  thousands  who 
had  come  to  make  money  vied  with  the  tens  who  came  to  spend  it  in 
mad  distribution  of  the  proceeds.  Madame,  who  had  made  an  im- 
mense investment  of  somebody's  capital  in  diamonds  and  lace,  must 
let  the  world  see  them.  Mademoiselle  must  make  a  certain  exhibit 
of  shapely  shoulders  and  of  telling  stride  in  the  German;  and  time 
was  shortening  fast.  And  Knower,  of  the  Third  House,  had  put  all 
the  proceeds  of  engineering  that  last  bill  through,  into  gorgeous  plate. 
It  would  never  do  to  waste  it,  for  Knower  meant  business;  and  this 
might  be  the  end  of  the  thing. 

So  the  stream  rushed  on,  catching  the  weak  and  timid  ones  upon 
its  brink  and  plunging  them  into  the  whirling  vortex.  And  still  the 
rusty  old  wheels  revolved,  as  creakily  as  ever,  at  the  Capital.  Blobb, 
of  Oregon,  made  machine  speeches  to  the  sleepy  House,  but  neither 
he,  nor  they,  noted  the  darkening  atmosphere  without.  Senator  Jenks 
took  his  half-hourly  "nip"  with  laudable  punctuality,  thereafter  rising 
eloquent  to  call  Mr.  President's  attention  to  that  little  bill ;  and  all 
the  while  that  huge  engine,  the  lobby,  steadily  pumped  away  in  the 
political  basement,  sending  streams  of  hot  corruption  into  every  artery 
of  the  government. 


Four  Years  in  Rebel  Capitals,  15 

Suddenly  a  sullen  reverberation  echoes  over  the  Potomac  from  the 
South.  The  long-threatened  deed  is  done  at  last.  South  Carolina 
has  seceded,  and  the  first  link  is  rudely  stricken  from  the  chain. 

There  is  a  little  start;  that  is  all.  The  Third  House  stays  for  a 
second  its  gold  spoon;  and,  perhaps,  a  trifle  of  the  turtle  spills  before 
reaching  its  mouth.  Madame  rearranges  her  parure  and  smoothes  ^p> 
her  ruffled  lace ;  while  Mademoiselle  pouts  a  little,  then  studies  her 
card  for  the  next  waltzer.  Senator  Jenks  takes  his  "nip"  just  a  trifle 
more  regularly;  and  Blobb,  of  Oregon,  draws  a  longer  breath  before 
his  next  period.  As  for  the  lobby-pump,  its  piston  grows  red-hot  and 
its  valves  fly  wide  opeh,  with  the  work  it  does ;  while  thicker  and 
more  foul  are  the  streams  it  sends  abroad. 

For  awhile  there  is  some  little  talk  around  WJllarcPs  about  the 
"  secesh;"  and  the  old  soldiers  wear  grave  faces  as  they  pass  to  and 
fro  between  the  War  Department  and  General  Scott's  headquarters. 
But  to  the  outer  circle,  it  is  only  a  nine-day  wonder;  while  the  danc- 
ing and  dining  army  men  soon  make  light  of  the  matter. 

But  the  stone  the  surface  closes  smoothly  over  at  the  center  makes 
large  ripples  at  the  edges.  Faces  that  were  long  before  now  begin 
to  lengthen;  and  thoughtful  men  wag  solemn  heads  as  they  pass,  or 
pause  to  take  each  other  by  the  buttonhole.  More  frequent  knots 
discuss  the  status  in  hotel  lobbies  and  even  in  the  passages  of  the 
departments ;  careful  non-partisans  keep  their  lips  tightly  closed,  and 
hot  talk,  pro  or  con,  begins  to  grow  more  popular. 

One  day  I  find,  per  card,  that  the  Patagonian  Ambassador  dines 
me  at  seven.     As  it  is  not  a  state  dinner  I  go,  to  find  it  even  more 
stupid.     At  dessert  the  reserve  wears  off  and  all  soon  get  deep  in  the          y- 
"Star  of  theJWgsL" -episode. 

"  Looks  mighty  bad  now,  sir.  Something  must  be  done,  sir,  and 
soon,  too,"  says  Diggs,  a  hard-working  M.  C.  from  the  North-west. 
"But,  as  yet,  I  don't  see — what,  exactly!" 

"Will  your  government  use  force  to  supply  Fort  Sumter?"  asks 
Count  B. ,  of  the  Sardinian  legation. 

"  If  so,  it  might  surely  drive  out  those  states  so  doubtful  now,  that 
they  may  not  go  to  extremes,"  suggested  the  Prussian  charge  ad  interim. 

"Why,  they'll  be  whipped  back  by  the  army  and  navy  within 
ninety  days  from  date,"  remarks  a  gentleman  connected  with  pen- 
sion brokerage. 


1 6  Four  Years  in  Rebel  Capitals. 

"If  part  of  the  army  and  navy  does  not  go  to  get  whipped  with 
them,"  growls  an  old  major  of  the  famed  Aztec  Club.  And  the  scar 
across  the  nose,  that  he  brought  away  from  the  Belen  Gate,  grows 
very  uncomfortably  purple. 

' '  By  Jove !  I  weally  believes  he  means  it !  Weally ! "  whispers 
very  young  Savile  Rowe,  of  H.  B.  M.  legation.  "Let's  get  wid  of 
these  politics.  Dwop  in  at  Knower's ;  soiwee,  you  know  ;"  and  Savile 
tucks  his  arm  under  mine. 

Two  blocks  away  we  try  to  lose  uncomfortable  ideas  in  an  atmos- 
phere of  spermaceti,  hot  broadcloth,  jockey  club  and  terrapin. 

"  Next  quadwille,  Miss  Wose  ?" 

"Oh,  yes,  Mr.  Rowe;  and — the  third  galop — let  me  see — the  fifth 
waltz.  And  oh!  isn't  it  nasty  of  those  people  in  South  Carolina! 
Why  don't  they  behave  themselves  ?  Oh,  dear !  what  a  lovely  color 
Karmeen  Sorser  has  to-night!  Au  revoirl"  and  Miss  Rose  Ruche 
glides  off,  a  deux  temps,  on  the  arm  of  the  Turkish  charge. 

As  I  stroll  through  the  rooms,  there  is  much  glaring  light  and  there 
are  many  nude  necks.  I  am  jostled  by  polking  damsels  and  button- 
holed by  most  approved  bores.  But,  through  the  blare  of  the  brass 
horns  and  over  the  steaming  terrapin,  the  one  subject  rises  again  and 
again,  refusing  burial  as  persistently  as  Eugene  Aram's  old  man. 

"  Try  a  glass  of  this  punch,"  Knower  chirps  cheerily.  "  Devilish 
good  punch!  Good  glass,  too.  See  the  crest  and  the  monogram 
blowed  in.  Put  Kansas  Coal  Contriver's  Company  proceeds  into  that 
glass.  But  things  are  looking  blue,  sir,  devilish  blue ;  and  I  don't  see 
the  way  out  at  all.  Fact  is,  I'm  getting  pretty  down  in  the  mouth!" 
And  the  lobbyist  put  a  bumper  of  punch  in  the  same  position. 
"People  may  talk,  sir,  but  my  head's  as  long  as  the  next,  and  I  don't 
see  the  way  out.  Washington's  dead,  sir;  dead  as  a  hammer,  if  this 
secession  goes  on.  Why,  what'll  become  of  our  business  if  they  move 
the  Capital?  Kill  us,  sir;  kill  us!  Lots  of  southern  members  leaving 
already" — and  Knower's  voice  sunk  to  a  whisper — "and  would  you 
believe  it?  I  heard  of  nine^esignations  from  the  army  to-day.  Gad, 
sir !  had  it  from  the  best  authority.  That  means  business,  I'm  afraid." 
And  little  by  little  the  conviction  dawned  on  all  classes  that  it  did 
mean  business — ugly,  real  business.  What  had  been  only  mutterings 
a  few  weeks  back  grew  into  loud,  defiant  speech.  Southern  men,  in 
and  out  of  Congress,  banded  under  their  leading  spirits,  boldly  and 


Four  Years  in  Rebel  Capitals.  17 

emphatically  declared  what  they  meant  to  do.  Never  had  excitement 
around  the  Capitol  run  half  so  high.  Even  the  Kansas-Nebraska 
furore  had  failed  to  pack  the  Senate  galleries  so  full  of  men  and  wo- 
men, struggling  for  seats  and  sitting  sometimes  through  the  night. 
One  after  another  the  southern  leaders  made  their  valedictories —  ^ 
some  calm  and  dignified,  some  hot  and  vindictive — and  left  the  seats 
they  had  filled  for  years.  One  after  another,  known  and  honored 
names  were  stricken  from  the  army  and  navy  lists,  by  resignation. 
One  after  another,  states  met  in  convention  and,  by  "  ordinance  of 
secession,"  declared  themselves  independent  of  the  Federal  Govern- 
ment. It  was  as  though  the  train  had  been  prepared  and  the  action 
of  South  Carolina  was  but  the  lighting  of  the  fuse.  Within  six  weeks 
from  Mr.  Buchanan's  New  Year  reception,  six  states  had  deliber* 
ately  gone  out  of  the  Union. 

When  it  was  too  late,  the  sleepy  administration  opened  its  eyes. 
Not  liking  the  looks^of  things,  it  shut  them  again.  When  it  was  too 
late,  there  were  windy  declarations  and  some  feeble  temporizing;  but 
all  thinking  men  felt  that  the  crisis  had  come  and  nothing  could 
avert  it.  The  earthquake  that  had  rumbled  so  long  in  premonitory 
throes  suddenly  yawned  in  an  ugly  chasm,  that  swallowed  up  the 
petty  differences  of  each  side.  One  throb  and  the  little  lines  of  party 
were  roughly  obliterated;  while  across  the  gulf  that  gaped  between 
them,  men  glared^at  each  other  with  but  one  meaning  in  their  eyes. 

That  solemn  mummery,  the  "  Pejj£ejCjMlgr,ess, "  might  temporarily 
have  turned  the  tide  it  was  wholly  powerless  to  dam ;  but  the  arch 
seceder,  Massachusetts,  manipulated  even  that  slight  chance  of  com-  ,X 
promise.  The  weaker  elements  in  convention  were  no  match  for  the 
peaceful  Puritan  whom  war  might  profit,  but  could  not  injure.  Peace 
was  pelted  from  under  her  olive  with  splinters  of  Plymouth  Rock, 
and  Massachusetts  members  poured  upon  the  troubled  waters  oil — of 
vitriol ! 

When  the  "  Peace  Commissioners  "  from  the  southern  Congress  at 
Montgomery  came  to  Washington,  all  felt  their  presence  only  a  mock- 
ery. It  was  too  late !  they  came  only  to  demand  what  the  govern- 
ment could  not  then  concede,  and  every  line  they  wrote  was  waste 
of  ink,  every  word  they  spoke  waste  of  breath.  Southern  congress- 
men were  leaving  by  every  train.  Families  of  years  residence  were 
pulling  down  their  household  gods  and  starting  on  a  pilgrimage  to 

2 


1 8  Four  Years  in  Rebel  Capitals. 

set  them  up — where  they  knew  not,  save  it  must  be  in  the  South. 
Old  friends  looked  doubtfully  at  each  other,  and  wild  rumors  were 
rife  of  incursions  over  the  Potomac  by  wild-haired  riders  from  Vir- 
ginia. Even  the  fungi  of  the  departmental  desks,  seeming  suddenly 
imbued  with  life,  rose  and  threw  away  their  quills — and  with  them  the 
very  bread  for  their  families — to  go  South.  It  was  the  modern  hegira ! 

A  dull,  vague  unrest  brooded  over  Washington,  as  though  the  city 
had  been  shadowed  with  a  vast  pall,  or  threatened  with  a  plague. 
/Then  when  it  was  again  too  late^General  Scott — "the  general,"  as. 
the  hero  of  Lundy's  Lane  and  Mexico  was  universally  known — virtu- 
ally went  into  the  Cabinet,  practically  filling  the  chair  that  Jefferson 
Davis  had  vacated.  Men  felt  that  they  must  range  themselves  on 
one  side,  or  the  other,  for  the  South  had  spoken  and  meant  what  she 
said.  There  might  jDe.warj  there  must  be  separation ! 

I  was  lounging  slowly  past  the  rampant  bronze  Jackson  in  Lafay- 
ette Square  when  Styles  Staple  joined  me. 

"When  do  you  start ? "  was  his  salutation. 

"When  do  I  start?"     Staple's  question  was  a  sudden  one. 

"Yes,  for  the  South?  You're  going,  of  course;  and  the  governor 
writes  me  to  be  off  at  once.  Better  go  together.  Eh  ?  Night  boat, 
4th  of  March." 

Now  the  governor  mentioned  was  not  presiding  executive  of  a 
southern  state,  but  was  Staple  pere,  of  the  heavy  cotton  firm  of  Sta- 
ple, Long  &  Middling,  New  Orleans.  Staple  fils  had  been  for  years 
a  great  social  card  in  Washington.  The  clubs,  the  legations,  the  ave- 
nues and  the  german  knew  him  equally  well;  and  though  he  talked 
about  "the  house,"  his  only  visible  transaction  with  it  was  to  make 
the  name  familiar  to  bill-brokers  by  frequent  drafts.  So  I  answered 
the  question  by  another  : 

"What  are  you  going  to  do  when  you  get  there?" 

"Stop  at  Montgomery,  see  the  Congress,  draw  on  'the  house,' 
and  then  t'  Orleans,"  he  answered  cheerfully.  "Come  with  me. 
Lots  to  see ;  and,  no  doubt,  about  plenty  to  do.  If  this  sky  holds, 
all  men  will  be  wanted.  As  you're  going,  the  sooner  the  better. 
What  do  you  say  ?  Evening  boat,  March  4th  ?  Is  it  a  go  ?" 

It  gave  only  two  days  for  preparation  to  leave  what  had  come 
nearer  being  home  than  any  other  place  in  a  nomadic  life.  But  he 
was  right.  I  was  going,  and  we  settled  the  matter,  and  separated  to 
wind  up  our  affairs  and  take  conge. 


Four  Years  in  Rebel  Capitals.  19 

The  night  before  President  Lincoln's  inauguration  was  a  restless 
and  trying  one  to  every  man  in  Washington.  Nervous  men  heard 
signal  for  bloody  outbreak  in  every  unfamiliar  sound.  Thoughtful 
ones  peered  beyond  the  mist  and  saw  the  boiling  of  the  mad  breakers, 
where  eight  millions  of  incensed  and  uncontrolled  population  hurled 
themselves  against  the  granite  foundation  of  the  established  govern- 
ment. Selfish  heads  tossed  upon  sleepless  pillows,  haunted  by  the 
thought  that  the  dawn  would  break  upon  a  great  change,  boding  ruin 
to  their  prospects,  monetary  or  political.  Even  the  butterflies  felt 
that  there  was  a  something  impending;  incomprehensible,  but  un- 
comfortably suggestive  of  work  instead  of  pleasure.  So  Washington 
rose  red-eyed  and  unrefreshed  on  the  4th  of  March,  1861. 

Elaborate  preparations  had  been  made  to  have  the  day's  ceremo- 
nial brilliant  and  imposing  beyond  precedent.  Visiting  militia  and 
civil  organizations  from  every  quarter — North,  East  and  West — had 
been  collecting  for  days,  and  meeting  reception  more  labored  than 
spontaneous.  The  best  bands  of  the  country  had  flocked  to  the  Cap- 
ital, to  drown  bad  blood  in  the  blare  of  brass ;  and  all  available  cavalry 
and  artillery  of  the  regular  army  had  been  hastily  rendezvoused,  for 
the  double  purpose  of  spectacle  and  security.  Still  the  public  mind 
was  feverish  and  unquiet;  and  the  post  commandant  was  like  the 
public  mind. 

Rumors  were  again  rife  of  raids  over  the  Potomac,  with  Henry  A. 
Wise  or  Ben  McCullouglTat  their  head ;  nightmares  of  plots  to  rob 
the  Treasury  and  raze  the  \Vhite  House  sat  heavy  on  the  timid;  while 
extremists  manufactured  long-haired  men,  with  air  guns,  secreted  here 
and  there  and  sworn  to  shoot  Mr.  Lincoln,  while  reading  his  inaug- 
ural. 

All  night  long,  orderlies  were  dashing  to  and  fro  at  breakneck 
speed ;  and  guard  details  were  marching  to  all  points  of  possible 
danger.  Day  dawn  saw  a  light  battery  drawn  up  on  G  street  facing 
the  Treasury,  guns  unlimbered  and  ready  for  action;  while  infantry 
held  both  approaches  to  the  Long  Bridge  across  the  Potomac.  Other 
bodies  of  regulars  were  scattered  at  points  most  available  for  rapid 
concentration ;  squadrons  of  cavalry  were  stationed  at  the  crossings, 
of  several  avenues;  and  all  possible  precautions  were  had  to  quell 
summarily  any  symptoms  of  riot. 

These  preparations  resembling  more  the  capital  of  Mexico  than 


20  Four  Years  in  Rebel  Capitals. 

that  of  these  United  States,  were  augury  of  the  peace  of  the  admin- 
istration thus  ushered  in !  Happily,  they  were  needless.  All  who  re- 
member that  inauguration  will  recall  the  dull,  dead  quiet  with  which 
the  day  passed  off.  The  very  studiousness  of  precaution  took  away 
from  the  enjoyment  of  the  spectacle  even ;  and  a  cloud  was  thrown 
over  the  whole  event  by  the  certainty  of  trouble  ahead.  The  streets 
were  anxious  and  all  gayety  showed  effort,  while  many  lowering  faces 
peeped  at  the  procession  from  windows  and  housetops. 

It  was  over  at  last.  The  new  man  had  begun  with  the  new  era ; 
and  Staple  and  I  had  finished  our  chasse  at  Wormley's  dinner  table, 
when  that  worthy's  pleasant,  yellow  face  peereHTrTat  the  door. 

As  we  jumped  into  the  carriage  awaiting  us  and  Wormley  banged 
the  door,  a  knot  of  loungers  ran  up  to  say  good-bye.  They  were  all 
men-about-town ;  and  if  not  very  dear  to  each  other,  it  was  still  a 
wrench  to  break  up  associations  with  those  whose  faces  had  been 
familiar  to  every  dinner  and  drive  and  reception  for  years.  We  had 
never  met  but  in  amity  and  amid  the  gayest  scenes ;  now  we  were 
plunging  into  a  pathless  future.  Who  could  tell  but  a  turn  might 
bring  us  face  to  face,  where  hands  would  cross  with  deadly  purpose ; 
while  the  hiss  of  the  Minie-ball  sang  accompaniment  in  place  of  the 
last  galop  that  Louis  Weber  had  composed. 

"Better  stay  where  you  are,  boys!  " — "  You're  making  a  bad  thing 
of  it! " — "  Don't  leave  us  Styles,  old  fellow !  " — "You'll  starve  down 
South,  sure !  " — were  a  few  of  the  hopeful  adieux  showered  at  us. 

"Thank  you  all,  just  the  same,  but  I  think  we  won't  stay,"  Staple 
responded.  "What  would  'the  house'  do?  God  bless  you,  boys! 
Good-bye,  Jim ! " 


Four  Years  in  Rebel  Capitals.  21 


CHAPTER  II. 

"THE  CRADLE  OF  THE  CONFEDERACY." 

Evening  had  fallen  as  evening  can  fall  only  in  early  Washington 
spring.  As  we  plunged  into  the  low,  close  cabin  of  the  Acquia 
Creek  steamer  of  that  day,  there  was  a  weak  light,  but  a  strong  smell 
of  kerosene  and  whisky.  Wet,  steamy  men  huddled  around  the  hot 
stove,  talking  blatant  politics  in  terms  as  strong  as  their  liquor.  So, 
leaving  the  reek  below,  we  faced  the  storm  on  deck,  vainly  striving  to 
fix  the  familiar  city  lights  as  they  faded  through  the  mist  and  rain ; 
more  vainly  still  peering  into  the  misty  future,  through  driving  fancies 
chasing  each  other  in  the  brain. 

The  journey  south  in  those  days  was  not  a  delight.  Its  components 
were  discomfort,  dust  and  doubt.  As  we  rattled  through  at  gray  of 
dawn,  Richmond  was  fast  asleep,  blissfully  ignorant  of  that  May 
morning  when  she  would  wake  to  find  herself  famous,  with  the  eyes 
of  all  the  civilized  world  painfully  strained  toward  her.  But  from 
Petersburg  to  Wilmington  the  country  side  was  wide  awake  and  eager 
for  news.  Anxious  knots  were  at  every  station  and  water  tank,  and 
not  overclean  hands  were  thrust  into  the  windows,  with  the  cry: 
'  'Airy  paper  ?  "  Sometimes  yellow  faces,  framed  with  long,  lank  hair, 
peered  in  at  the  doors ;  while  occasional  voices  indescribably  twanged : 
"  You'uns  got  any  news  from  thar  'nauggeration  ?  " 

Staple's  ready,  while  not  very  accurate,  replies  were  hungrily 
swallowed ;  proffered  papers  of  any  date  were  clutched  and  borne  as 
prizes  to  the  learned  man  of  each  group,  to  be  spelled  out  to  the  ,/ 
delectation  of  open-mouthed  listeners.  For  the  whole  country  had 
turned  out,  with  its  hands  in  its  breeches  pockets,  and  so  far  it  seemed 
content  to  gape  and  lounge  about  the  stations.  The  men,  to  all  ap- 
pearance, were  ready  and  eager ;  but  at  that  time  no  idea  of  such  a 
thing  as  preparation  had  entered  their  minds. 

It  is  difficult,  at  best,  to  overcome  the  vis  inertice  of  the  lower-class 
dweller  along  the  South  Atlantic  seaboard;  but  when  he  is  first 


22  Four  Years  in  Rebel  Capitals. 

knocked  in  the  head  with  so  knotty  a  club  as  secession,  and  then  is 

told  to  be  up  and  doing,  he  probably  does nothing.  Their  leaders 

had  not  been  among  them  yet,  and  the  "  Goobers"  were  entirely  at 

sea.     They  knew  that  something  had  gone  wrong,  that  something  was 

expected  of  them ;  but  how,  where  or  what,  their  conception  was  of 

the  vaguest.     The  average  intelligence  of  the  masses  thereabout  is  not 

f  high;  the  change  noticeable  before  crossing  the  Virginia  line  becom- 

i  ing  more  and  more  marked  as  one  travels  straight  south.     Whether 

*  the  monotonous  stretches  of  pine  barren  depress  mentally,  or  frequent 

recurring  "ager"  prostrates  physically,  who  shall  say?     But   to  the 

casual  glance  along  that  railroad  line,  was  not  presented  an  unvarying 

picture  of  bright,  or  intellectual,  faces. 

In  Wilmington — not  then  the  busy  mart  and  "port  of  the  Con- 
federacy," she  later  grew  to  be — almost  equal  apathy  prevailed. 
There  was  more  general  sense  of  a  crisis  upon  them;  but  the  escape 
valve  for  extra  steam,  generated  therefrom,  seemed  to  be  in  talk  only. 
There  were  loud-mouthed  groups  about  the  hotel,  sundry  irate  and 
some  drunken  politicians  at  the  ferry.  But  signs  of  real  action  were 
nowhere  seen;  and  modes  of  organization  seemed  to  have  interested 
no  man  one  met.  The  ' '  Old  North  State  "  had  stood  ready  to  dissolve 
her  connection  with  the  Union  for  some  five  weeks;  but  to  the  looker- 
on,  she  seemed  no  more  ready  for  the  struggle  to  follow  her  "ordi- 
nance of  secession,"  than  if  that  step  had  not  been  considered. 

But  it  must  be  remembered  that  this  was  the  very  beginning,  when 
a  whole  people  were  staggered  by  reaction  of  their  own  blow ;  and  all 
seemed  to  stand  irresolute  on  the  threshold  of  a  vast  change.  And 
when  the  tug  really  came,  the  state  responded  so  bravely  and  so 
readily  that  none  of  her  sisters  might  doubt  the  mettle  she  was  made 
of.  Her  record  is  written  from  Bethel  to  Appomattox,  in  letters  so 
bright  that  time  can  not  dim,  or  conquest  tarnish,  them. 

Through  South  Carolina  and  Georgia,  men  seemed  more  awake  to 
the  greatness  of  the  change  and  to  the  imminence  of  its  results. 
Inland  Georgia,  especially,  showed  keener  and  shrewder.  Questions 
were  more  to  the  point;  and  many  a  quick  retort  was  popped  through 
the  car  windows  at  Staple's  wonderful  inventions.  A  strongly  as- 
severated wish  to  do  something,  and  that  at  the  earliest  moment,  was 
generally  clinched  by  a  bouncing  oath ;  but  where,  or  how,  that 
something  was  to  be  done  was  never  even  hinted.  Briefly,  Georgia 


Four  Years  in  Rebel  Capitals.  23 

seemed  more  anxious  for  preparation  than  her  neighbors ;  withal  she 
was  equally  far  from  preparation.  It  were  manifestly  unfair  to  judge 
the  status  of  a  whole  people  by  glimpses  from  a  railway  carriage. 
But  from  that  point  of  view,  the  earliest  hours  of  revolution — those 
hours  which,  properly  utilized,  are  most  fruitful  of  result — were 
woefully  and  weakly  wasted  by  "  the  leaders." 

The  people  had  risen  en  masse.  The  flame  had  spread  among  them 
like  lava  to  their  lowest  depths.  Told  that  their  section  needed  them, 
they  had  responded  like  the  Douglas, ' '  Ready,  aye,  ready ! "  Beyond 
this  they  were  told  nothing;  and  during  those  most  precious  weeks 
they  waited,  while  demagoguery  flourished  and  action  slept.  The 
entire  cotton  growing  region  was  in  active  fermentation;  but,  until 
the  surface  bubbles  ceased,  no  practical  deposit  could  be  looked  for. 

"  Devilish  strong  hands  and  pretty  broad  backs  these,  but  I've  yet 
to  see  the  first  head  among  them!  I  suppose  we'll  find  them  at 
Montgomery !  Jl~ 

After  emitting  which  Orphic  utterance  at  West  Point,  Styles  Staple 
emptied  the  partnership's  pocket-flask,  and  then  slept  peacefully  until 
we  reached  the  "Cradle  of  the  Confederacy." 

Montgomery,  like  Rome,  sits  on  seven  hills.  The  city  is  pictur- 
esque in  perch  upon  bold,  high  bluffs,  which,  on  the  city  side,  cut 
sheer  down  to  the  Alabama  river ;  here,  seemingly  scarce  more  than  a 
biscuit-toss  across.  From  the  opposite  bank  spread  great  flat  stretches 
of  marsh  and  meadow  land,  while  on  the  other  side,  behind  the  town, 
the  formation  swells  and  undulates  with  gentle  rise.  As  in  most 
southern  inland  towns,  its  one  great  artery,  Main  street,  runs  from 
the  river  bluffs  to  the  Capitol,  perched  on  a  high  hill  a  full  mile  away. 
This  street,  wide  and  sandy,  was  in  the  cradle  days  badly  paved,  but 
rather  closely  built  up.  Nor  was  the  Capitol  a  peculiarly  stately  pile, 
either  in  size  or  architectural  effect.  Still  it  dominated  the  lesser 
structures,  as  it  stared  down  the  street  with  quite  a  Roman  rigor. 
The  staff  upon  its  dome  bore  the  flag  of  the  new  nation,  run  up  there 
shortly  after  the  Congress  met  by  the  hands  of  a  noted^  daughter  of 
Virginia.  Miss  Letitia  Tyler  was  not  only  a  representative  of  proud 
Old  Dominion  blood,  but  was  also  granddaughter  of  the  ex-President  X 
of  the  United  States,  whose  eldest  son,  Robert,  lived  in  the  new  Cap- 
ital. All  Montgomery  had  flocked  to  Capitol  Hill  in  holiday. attire; 
bells  rang  and  cannon  boomed,  and  the  throng — including  all  mem- 


24  Four  Years  in  Rebel  Capitals. 

bers  of  the  government — stood  bareheaded  as  the  fair  Virginian  threw 
that  flag  to  the  breeze.  Then  a  poet-priest — who  later  added  the 
sword  to  the  quill — spoke  a  solemn  benediction  on  the  people,  their 
flag  and  their  cause ;  and  a  shout  went  up  from  every  throat  that 
told  they  meant  to  honor  and  strive  for  it;  if  need  be,  to  die  for  it. 
What  was  the  meaning  of  the  pact,  then  and  there  made,  had  been 
told  by  a  hundred  battle-fields,  from  Texas  to  Gettysburg,  from  Santa 
Rosa  to  Belmont,  ere  the  star  of  the  South  set  forever,  and  her  rem- 
nant of  warriors  sadly  draped  that  "conquered  banner." 

On  the  whole,  the  effect  of  Montgomery  upon  the  newly  arrived 
was  rather  pleasing,  with  a  something  rather  provincial,  quite  in 
keeping  with  its  location  inland.  Streets,  various  in  length,  uncertain 
in  direction  and  impractical  as  to  pavement,  ran  into  Main  street  at 
many  points ;  and  most  of  them  were  closely  built  with  pretty  houses, 
all  of  them  surrounded  by  gardens  and  many  by  handsome  grounds. 
Equidistant  from  the  end  of  Main  street  and  from  each  other,  stood, 
in  these  cradle  days,  the  two  hotels  of  which  the  Capital  could  boast. 
Montgomery  Hall,  of  bitter  memory — like  the  much-sung  ' '  Raven  of 
Zurich,"  for  uncleanliness  of  nest  and  length  of  bill — had  been  the 
resort  of  country  merchants,  horse  and  cattle-men;  but  now  the 
Solon  of  the  hour  dwelt  therein,  with  the  possible  hero  of  many  a 
field.  The  Exchange — of  rather  more  pretentions  and  vastly  more 
comfort — was  at  that  time  in  the  hands  of  a  northern  firm,  who 
"could  keep  a  hotel."  The  latter  was  political  headquarters — the 
President,  the  Cabinet  and  a  swarm  of  the  possible  great  residing 
there. 

Montgomery  was  Washington  over  again;  only  on  a  smaller  scale, 
and  with  the  avidity  and  agility  in  pursuit  of  the  spoils  somewhat 
enhanced  by  the  freshness  of  scent. 

"The  President  is  at  this  house?"  I  queried  of  the  ex-member  of 
Congress  next  me  at  dinner.  "  But  he  does  not  appear,  I  suppose  ?" 

"  Oh,  yes;  he's  waiting  here  till  his  house  is  made  ready.  But  he 
doesn't  have  a  private  table ;  takes  his  meals  like  an  everyday  mortal, 
at  the  ladies'  ordinary." 

'  He  had  scarcely  spoken  when  Mr.  Davis  entered  by  a  side  door 
and  took  his  seat,  with  only  an  occasional  stare  of  earnest,  but  not 
disrespectful,  curiosity  from  the  more  recent  arrivals. 

Even  in  the  few  weeks  since  I  had  seen  him,  there  was  a  great 


Foiir  Years  in  Rebel  Capitals.  25 

change.  He  looked  worn  and  thinner ;  and  the  set  expression  of 
the  somewhat  stern  features  gave  a  grim  hardness  not  natural  to  their 
lines.  With  scarcely  a  glance  around,  he  returned  the  general  salu- 
tations, sat  down  absently  and  was  soon  absorbed  in  conversation 
with  General  Cooper,  who  had  recently  resigned  the  adjutant-general- 
ship  of  the  TJaiteoT  States  army  and  accepted  a  similar  post  and  a 
brigadier's  commission  from  Mr.  Davis. 

An  after-dinner  interview  with  the  President  of  the  Confederacy, 
to  present  the  "very  important ''  documents  from  one  of  the  martyrs 
pining  for  hanging  at  Washington,  proved  them  only  a  prolix  report 
of  the  inauguration.  Mr.  Davis  soon  threw  them  aside  to  hear  the 
verbal  account  from  us. 

At  this  time  the  southern  chief  was  fifty-two  years  old — tall,  erect 
and  spare  by  natural  habit,  but  worn  thin  to  almost  emaciation  by 
mental  and  physical  toil.  Almost  constant  sickness  and  unremitting 
excitement  of  the  last  few  months  had  left  their  imprint  on  face  as 
well  as  figure.  The  features  had  sharpened  and  the  lines  had  deep- 
ened and  hardened;  the  thin  lips  had  a  firmer  compression  and  the 
lower  jaw — always  firm  and  prominent — was  closer  pressed  to  its  fel- 
low. Mr.  Davis_had  lost  the  sight  of  one  eye  many  months  previous, 
though  that  member  scarcely  ^TioweoTTTs  imperfection ;  but  in  the 
other  burned  a  deep,  steady  glow,  showing  the  presence  with  him  of 
thought  that  never  slept.  And  in  conversation  he  had  the  habit  of 
listening  with  eyes  shaded  by  the  lids,  then  suddenly  shooting  forth 
at  the  speaker  a  gleam  from  the  stone-gray  pupil  which  seemed  to 
penetrate  his  innermost  mind. 

Little  ceremony,  or  form,  hedged  the  incubating  government;  and 
perfect  simplicity  marked  every  detail  about  Mr.  Davis.  His  office, 
for  the  moment,  was  one  of  the  parlors  of  the  hotel.  Members  of 
the  Cabinet  and  high  officials  came  in  and  out  without  ceremony,  to 
ask  questions  and  receive  very  brief  replies  ;  or  for^Wrrispered  con- 
sultation  with  the  President's  private  secretary,  whose  desk  was  in 
the  same  room.  Casual  visitors  were  simply  announced  by  an  usher, 
and  werlTreceived  whenever  business  did  not  prevent.  Mr.  Davis' 
manner  was  unvarying  in  its  quiet  and  courtesy,  drawing  out  all  that 
one  had  to  tell,  and  indicating  by  brief  answer,  or  criticism,  that  he 
had  extracted  the  pith  from  it.  At  that  moment  he  was  the  very  idol 
of  the  people;  the  grand  embodiment  to  them  of  their  grand  cause; 


26  Four  Years  in  Rebel  Capitals. 

and  they  gave  him  their  hands  unquestioning,  to  applaud  any  move 
soever  he  might  make.  And  equally  unthinking  as  this  popular 
manifestation  of  early  hero-worship,  was  the  clamor  that  later  floated 
into  Richmond  on  every  wind,  blaming  the  government — and  espe- 
cially its  head — for, every  untoward  detail  of  the  facile  descent  to 
destruction. 

A  better  acquaintance  with  the  Confederate  Capital  impressed  one 
still  more  with  its  likeness  to  Washington  toward  the  end  of  the  ses- 
sion ;  but  many  features  of  that  likeness  were  salient  ones,  which  had 
marred  and  debased  the  older  city.  The  government  just  organizing, 
v'  €ndlessj^ces_of^profit,  of  trust,  or  of  honor,  were  to  be  filled ;  and 
for  each  and  every  one  of  them  was  a  rush  of  jostling  and  almost 
rabid  claimants.  The  skeleton  of  the  regular  army  had  just  been 
articulated  by  Congress,  but  the  bare  bones  would  soon  have  swelled 
to  more  than  Falstafrlan  proportions,  had  one  in  every  twenty  of  the 
ardent  aspirants  been  applied  as  matter  and  muscle.  The  first  "ga- 
zette" was  watched  for  with  straining  eyes,  and  naturally  would 
follow  aching  hearts ;  for  disappointment  here  first  sowed  the  drag- 
on's teeth  that  were  to  spring  into  armed  opponents  of  the  unappre- 
ciative  power. 

The  whole  country  was  jnew.  Everything  was  to  be  done — to  be 
.made;  and  who  was  so  capable  for  both,  in  their  ownjcpnceit,  as  that 
swarm  of  worn-out  lobbymen  and  contractors  who,  having  thoroughly 
•exploited  "the  old  concern,"  now  gathered  to  gorge  upon  the  new. 
And  by  the  hundred  flocked  hither  those  unclean  birds,  blinking 
bleared  eyes  at  any  chance  bit,  whetting  foul  bills  to  peck  at  carrion 
from  the  departmental  sewer.  Busy  and  active  at  all  hours,  the 
lobby  of  the  Exchange,  when  the  crowd  and  the  noise  rose  to  the 
flood  at  night,  smacked  no  little  of  pandemonium.  Every  knot  of 
men  had  its  grievance ;  every  flag  in  the  pavement  was  a  rostrum. 
Slowness  of  organization,  the  weakness  of  Congress,  secession  of  the 
border  states,  personnel  of  the  Cabinet  and  especially  the  latest  army 
appointments — these  and  kindred  subjects  were  canvassed  with  heat 
equaled  only  by  ignorance.  Men  from  every  section  of  the  South 
defended  their  own  people  in  highest  of  keys  and  no  little  temper; 
startling  measures  for  public  safety  were  offered  and  state  secrets 
openly  discussed  in  this  curbstone  congress ;  while  a  rank  growth  of 
newspaper  correspondents,  with  "the  very  latest,"  swelled  the  hum 


Four  Years  in  Rebel  Capitals.  27 

into  a  veritable  Babel.  And  the  most  incomprehensible  of  all  was 
the  diametric  opposition  of  men  from  the  same  neighborhood,  in 
their  views  oTthe  same  subject.  Often  it  would  be  a  vital  one,  of 
doctrine,  or  of  policy ;  and  yet  these  neighbors  would  antagonize 
more  bitterly  than  would  men  from  opposite  parts  of  the  confedera- 
tion. 

Two  ideas,  however,  seemed  to  pervade  the  entire  South  at  this 
time  which,  though  arrived  at  by  most  differing  courses  of  reasoning, 
were  discussed  with  complacent  unanimity.  One  was  that  keystone 
dogma  of  secession,  "Cotton  is  king;"  the  second,  the  belief  that  V 
the  war^  should  there  be  any,  could  not  last  over  three  months.  The 
causes  that  led  to  the  first  belief  were  too  numerous,  if  not  too 
generally  understood  also,  to  be  discussed  here  afresh;  and  upon 
them,  men  of  all  sections  and  of  all  creeds  based  firmest  faith  that,  so 
soon  as  Europe  understood  that  the  separation  was  permanent  and  a 
regular  government  had  been  organized,  the  power  of  cotton  alone 
would  dictate  immediate  recognition.  The  man  who  ventured  dis- 
sent from  this  idea,  back  it  by  what  reason  he  might,  was  voted  no 
better  than  an  idiot ;  if,  indeed,  his  rank  disloyalty  was  not  broadly 
hinted  at. 

But   the    second   proposition   was   harder   still   to    comprehend. 
There  had  already  been  a  tacit  declaration  of  war,  and  overt  acts 
were  of  frequent  commission.     As  the  states  seceded,  they  seized"! 
the  arsenals,  with  arms  and  munitions;  the  shipping,  mints  and  all  I 
United  States  property,  only  permitting  the  officers  to  go  on  theirjl 
parole. 

The  North  was  already  straining  preparation  to  resent  these 
insults  offered  to  the  power  and  to  the  '  flag  of  the  Union.  The 
people  were  of  one  race,  embittered  by  long-existent  rivalries  and  S 
jealousies  as  strangers  can  never  be  embittered ;  and  the  balance  of 
numbers,  of  capital  and  of  machinery  were  on  the  other  side. 
These  causes,  as  they  were  without  fresh  incentives  that  needs  must 
follow  war,  seemed  sufficient  to  convince  reasoning  men  that  if  the 
storm  burst,  it  would  be  as  enduring  as  it  was  terrific.  I  could 
realize  that  to  men  saturated  with  pride  of  section,  who  knew  little  of 
facts  and  feelings  beyond  their  boundaries,  the  idea  of~peaceful 
separation,  or  of  a  short  war,  could  be  possible.  But  that  the  citizens  of 
the  world  now  congregated  at  Montgomery,  who  had  sucked  in  her 


28  Four  Years  in  Rebel  Capitals. 

wisdom  as  mother's  milk,  should  talk  thus,  puzzled  those  who  paused 
to  query  if  they  really  meant  what  they  said. 

Up  to  this  time  Montgomery  had  been  scarcely  more  than  a  great 
inland  village ;  dividing  her  local  importance  between  being  the  capi- 
tal of  Alabama,  the  terminus  of  her  principal  railroad,  and  the  prac- 
tical head  of  navigation  for  her  greatest  river.  The  society  had 
been  composed  of  some  planters,  cotton  men,  a  few  capitalists,  some 
noted  professionals  and  a  large  class  connected  with  railroad  and 
steamboat  interests.  There  had  always  been  considerable  culture, 
more  hospitality  and  still  more  ambition,  social  and  civic ;  but  there 
was  still  much  lacking  of  what  the  world  expects  of  a  city.  Now, 
however,  a  future  loomed  up  before  the  town,  which  had  never  before 
crossed  the  dreams  of  its  oldest  inhabitant.  Her  choice  as  the  '  'cradle 
of  the  Confederacy,"  the  sudden  access  of  population  therefrom,  the 
probable  erection  of  furnaces,  factories  and  storehouses,  with  conse- 
quent disbursement  of  millions — all  these  gave  the  humdrum  town  a 
new  value  and  importance,  even  to  its  humblest  citizen.  Already 
small  merchants  saw  their  ledgers  grow  in  size,  to  the  tune  of  added 
cash  to  fall  jingling  into  enlarged  tills.  In  fact,  the  choice  of  the 
Capital  had  turned  a  society,  provincially  content  to  run  in  accus- 
tomed grooves,  quite  topsy-turvy ;  and,  perhaps  for  want  of  some 
other  escape-valve  under  the  new  pressure,  the  townspeople  grum- 
bled consumedly. 

Tiring  of  experimental  camping-out  in  a  hotel,  a  few  gentlemen 
hired  a  house  and  established  a  "  mess."  They  were  all  notables — 
,  General  Cooper,  General  MeyersT"  Dr.,  JDeLeon,  Colonel  Deas  and 
others,  the  three  first  being  adjutant-general,  quartermaster-general 
and  surgeon-general  of  the  new  army.  A  chief  of  department,  or 
two  and  this  writer,  completed  the  occupants  of  "  the_Ranjche,"  as  it 
was  early  christened  by  "  the  colonel ; "  and  its  piazza  soon  became 
the  favorite  lounging-place  in  the  evening  of  the  better  and  brighter 
elements  of  the  floating  population.  There  was  sure  to  be  found  the 
newest  arrival,  if  he  were  worth  knowing ;  the  latest  papers  and 
news  "from  across;"  and,  as  the  blue  smoke  of  the  Havanas  floated 
lazily  out  on  the  soft  summer  night,  many  a  jovial  laugh  followed  it 
and  a  not  infrequent  prediction  of  scenes  to  come  almost  prophetic. 
And  of  the  lips  that  made  these  most  are  now  silent  forever — stilled 
in  the  reddest  glow  of  battle,  with  the  war-cry  hot  upon  them. 


Four  Years  in  Rebel  Capitals.  29 

So  far  the  news  that  came  in  from  all  quarters  continued  cheer- 
ing. A  vague  sense  of  doubt  and  suspense  would  creep  in  when 
one  stopped  to  think,  but  nothing  terrible,  or  shocking,  had  yet  hap- 
pened anywhere.  Though  the  nation  was  going  down  to  battle,  its 
banners  were  flaunting  gaily  and  its  bands  were  playing  anything 
but  dirges. 


30  Four  Years  in  Rebel  Capitals. 


CHAPTER   III. 

CONGRESS    AND    CABINET. 

The  proposition  that,  shown  who  writes  the  ballads  of  a  country, 
one  may  tell  who  makes  its  laws,  is  far  from  reversible  in-  many 
instances ;  and  assuredly  the  lawmakers  of  the  Confederacy  looked 
little  like  poets. 

When  the  councils  of  a  country  are  assembled  for  work,  it  is  but 
natural  to  look  for  a  body  of  grave  and  reverend — if  not  most 
potent  —  seigniors.  And  especially,  when  a  new  government  is 
forming  from  selected  fragments  of  the  old,  might  one  expect  a  pure 
and  simple  structure,  free  from  those  faults  and  weaknesses  which 
sowed  the  seeds  of  disintegration  in  the  elder  fabric. 

It  was  too  much  the  fashion  to  believe  that  the  Confederacy — 
having  sprung  full-grown  from  foam  of  the  angry  sea  of  politics — 
was  full-armed  as  well.  A  revolution,  unprecedented  in  the  world's 
history,  had  already  been  achieved.  A  strongly  cemented  and  firmly 
seated  government  had  been  disrupted ;  and  a  new  one,  built  from 
the  dissevered  fragments,  had  been  erected  almost  under  the  shadow 
/  of  its  Capitol.  And  no  drop  of  blood  had  been  spilled !  Six  mill- 
T  ions  of  people  had  uprisen  and,  by  a  simple  declaration  of  will,  had 
in  a  few  short  weeks  undone  the  work  of  near  a  century.  Without 
arms  in  their  hands ;  without  a  keel  in  their  waters ;  without  a  dollar 
in  their  treasury,  they  arrayed  themselves  against  the  mother  govern- 
ment with  the  serious  purpose  of  not  only  asserting,  but  maintaining, 
their  independence  of  it. 

So  far,  all  had  been  accomplished  without  viplence.  But,  what- 
ever the  simpler  masses  might  expect,  the  initiated  politician  could 
scarce  have  b«lieved  that  the  older  government  would  meekly  sub- 
mit to  "  Let  the  erring  sisters  go  in  peace."  Hence,  one  might 
justly  have  looked  to  see  the  executive  council  of  the  new  nation — to 
whom  had  been  intrusted  its  safety  and  its  hopes — with  every  thought 
bent,  every  nerve  strained  to  the  one  vital  point — preparation !  One 


Four    Years  in  Rebel  Capitals.  31 

could  only  have  expected  measures  simple  as  energetic ;  laws  clear, 
concise  and  comprehensive ;  care  only  for  the  arming,  organizing  and 
maintenance  of  the  people. 

Blessed  are  they  who  expect  nothing!  One  glance  at  the  "  Con- 
gress of  the  Confederate  States  of  America,"  as  it  sat  in  the  Capitol 
at  Montgomery,  told  the  whole  story  of  its  organization  and  of  its 
future  usefulness. 

The  states  went  out  of  the  union,  separately  and  at  different 
periods,  by  the  action  of  conventions.  These  were  naturally  com- 
posed of  men  who  had  long  been  prominently  before  the  people, 
urging  the  measures  of  secession.  As  a  matter  of  course,  the  old 
political  workers  of  each  section,  by  fair  means  and  foul,  were  en- 
abled to  secure  election  to  these  conventions;"  and,  once  there,  they 
so  fevered  and  worked  upon  the  public  mind,  amid  rapidly  succeed- 
ing events,  that  its  after-thought  could  neither  be  reasonable  nor  de- 
liberate. The  act  of  secession  once  consummated,  the  state  con- 
nected itself  with  the  Confederacy  and  representatives  had  to  be  sent 
to  Montgomery.  Small  wonder  that  the  men  most  prominent  in  the 
secession  conventions  should  secure  their  own^election,  as  little  regard 
to  fitness  as  ability  being  had  by  the  excited  electors. 

The  House  of  Representatives  at  Montgomery  looked  like  the  Wash- 
ington Congress,  viewed  through  a  reversed  opera-glass.  The  same 
want  of  dignity  and  serious  work  ;  the  same  position  of  ease,  with  feet 
on  desk  and  hat  on  head ;  the  sajne  buzzing  talk  on  indifferent  sub- 
jects; often  the  very  same  men  in  the  lobbies — taking  dry  smokes 
from  unlit  cigars ;  all  these  elements  were  there  in  duplicate,  if  some- 
what smaller  and  more  concentrated.  No  point  in  Montgomery  was 
remote  enough — no  assemblage  dignified  enough — to  escape  the 
swoop  of  the  lobby  vulture.  His  beak  was  as  sharp  and  his  unclean 
talons  as  strong  aT*tn"ose  of  the  traditional  bird,  which  had  blinked 
and  battened  so  long  on  the  eaves  of  the  Washington  edifice.  When 
"  the  old  concern"  had  been  dismembered,  limbs  had  been  dragged 
whole  to  aid  in  the  construction  of  the  new  giant ;  and  scenting  these 
from  afar,  he  hastened  hither  fierce  for  his  fresh  banquet. 

Glancing  down  from  the  gallery  of  the  House,  many  were  the 
familiar  faces  peering  over  the  desks ;  and,  even  where  one  did  not 
know  the  individual,  it  was  easy  to  recognize  the  politician  by  trade 
among  the  rosy  and  uncomfortable  novices.  It  was  constant  food 


32  Four   Years  in  Rebel  Capitals. 

for  wonderment  to  thoughtful  men,  that  the  South  had,  in  most  cases, 
chosen  party  hacks  to  legislate  for  and  to  lead  her  in  this  great  crisis, 
rather  than  transfused  younger  blood  and  steadier  nerves  into  her 
councils;  rather  than  grafted  new  minds  upon  the  as  yet  healthy  body. 
The  revolution  was  popularly  accepted  as  the  result  of  corruptions 
and  aggressions  which  these  very  men  had  been  utterly  helpless  to 
correct,  or  to  prevent ;  even  had  they  not  been  able  actors  in  them. 
Yet,  worn-out  politicians — who  had  years  before  been  "  promoted 
from  servants  to  sovereigns  and  had  taken  back  seats  " — floated  high 
upon  the  present  surge.  Men  hot  from  Washington,  reeking  with 
the  wiles  of  the  old  House  and  with  their  unblushing  buncombe  fresh 
upon  them,  took  the  lead  in  every  movement;  and  the  rank  old 
Washington  leaven  threatened  to  permeate  every  pore  of  the  new 
government. 

It  is  small  wonder  that  the  measures  of  such  a  congress,  when  not 
vacillating,  were  weak.  If  the  time  demanded  anything,  that  de- 
mand was  the  promptest  organization  of  an  army,  with  an  immediate 
basis  of  foreign  credit,  to  arm,  equip  and  clothe  it.  "Next  to  this 
was  the  urgent  need  for  a  simple  and  readily  managed  machinery  in 
the  different  departments  of  the  government. 

Neither  of  these  desiderata  could  be  secured  by  their  few  earnest 
and  capable  advocates,  who  thrust  them  forward  over  and  over  again, 
only  to  be  pushed  aside  by  the  sensation  element  with  which  the 
popular  will  of  the  new  nation — or  the  want  of  it — had  diluted  her 
councils.  There  were  windy  dissertations  on  the  color  of  the  flag,  or 
on  the  establishment  of  a  patent  office ;  and  members  made  long 
speeches,  bearing  on  no  special  point,  but  that  mos,t  special  one  of 
their  own  re-election.  There  were  bitter  denunciations  of  "  the  old 
wreck;"  violent  diatribes  on  the  "gridiron"  flag;  with  many  an 
eloquent  and  manly  declaration  of  the  feelings  and  the  attitude  of  the 
South.  But  these  were  not  the  bitter  need.  Declarations  sufficient 
had  already  been  made ;  and  the  masses — having  made  them,  and 
being  ready  and  willing  to  maintain  them — stood  with  their  hands  in 
their  pockets,  open-mouthed,  eager,  but  inactive.  They  were  wait- 
ing for  some  organization,  for  some  systematized  preparation  for  the 
struggle  even  they  felt  to  be  surely  coming.  Not  one  in  three  of  the 
congressmen  dared  look  the  real  issue  directly  in  the  face ;  and  these 
were  powerless  to  accomplish  anything  practical.  But  their  con- 


Four  Years  in  Rebel  Capitals.  33 

stant  pressure  finally  forced  from  the  reluctant  legislature  a  few  first 
steps  toward  reduction  of  the  chaos. 

The  Government  was  to  consist,  after  the  President,  of  a  vice- 
President  and  a  secretary  for  each  of  the  departments  of  State,  War, 
Navy,  Treasury,  Post-Office  and  Justice ;  the  latter  being  a  combina- 
tion of  the  responsibilities  of  the  Interior  Department  and  the  Attor- 
ney-General's office. 

Alexander  H.  Stephens,  of  Georgia,  had  been  elevated  to  the 
vice-Presidency,  as  reconciling  the  oppositions  of  "  original  secession" 
and  "and  secession."  He  had  long  been  a  prominent  politician ; 
was  thoroughly  acquainted  with  all  the  points  of  public  life;  and  was, 
at  this  time,  quite  popular  with  people  of  all  sections,  being  generally 
regarded  as  a  man  of  exceptional  capacity  and  great  independence. 

The  portfolio  of  State  was  in  the  hands  of  another  Georgian,  Rob- 
ert Toombs.  In  the  present  posture  of  affairs,  little  could  be  ex- 
pected from  it,  as  until  the  nations  of  Eurppe_should  recognize  the 
South,  she  could  have  no  foreign  policy.  The  honorable  secretary 
himself  seemed  fully  to  realize  how  little  onerous  was  his  position. 
One  of  the  ten  thousand  applicants  for  any  and  every  position  ap- 
proached him  for  a  place  in  his  department  and  exhibited  his  letters 
of  recommendation. 

' '  Perfectly  useless,  sir ! "  responded  Mr.  Toombs  with  a  thunder- 
ous oath.  Let  us  whisper  that  the  honorable  secretary  was  a  pro- 
found swearer. 

"  But,  sir,"  persisted  the  place  hunter,  "if  you  will  only  look  at 
this  letter  from  Mr. ,  I  think  you  can  find  something  for  me." 

"Can  you  get  in  here,  sir?"  roared  the  secretary  fiercely,  taking 
off  his  hat  and  pointing  into  it — with  a  volley  of  sonorous  oaths — 
"That's  the  Department  of  State,  sir!  " 

The  Post-Office  and  Department  of  Justice  were,  as  yet,  about 
as  useful  as  the  State  Department  ;  but  to  the  War  Office,  every  eye 
was  turned,  and  the  popular  verdict  seemed  to  be  that  the  choice 
there  was  not  the  right  man  in  the  right  place.  Mr.  Leroy  Pope 
Walker,  to  whom  its  administration  was  intrusted,  was  scarcely 
known  beyond  the  borders  of  his  own  state;  but  those  who  did 
know  him  prophesied  that  he  would  early  stagger  under  the  heavy 
responsibility  that  would  necessarily  fall  upon  him  in  event  of  war. 
Many  averred  that  he  was  only  a  man  of  straw  to  whom  Mr.  Davis 
3  —7-—  — 


34  Four   Years  in  Rebel  Capitals. 

had  offered  the  portfolio,  simply  that  he  might  exercise  his  own  well- 
*  known  love  for  military  affairs  and  be  himself  the  dc  facts  Secretary 
of  War. 

The  selection  of  Mr.  Mallory,  of  Florida,  for  the  Navy  Depart- 
ment, was  more  popular  and  was,  as  yet,  generally  considered  a 
good  one.  His  long  experience  as  chairman  of  the  committee  on 
naval  affairs,  in  the  United  States  Senate,  and  his  reputation  for 
clearness  of  reasoning  and  firmness  of  purpose,  made  him  acceptable 
to  the  majority  of  politicians  and  people.  Of  Mr.  Reagan  the  peo- 
ple knew  little;  but  their  fate  was  not  in  his  hands,  and  just  now 
they  were  content  to  wait  for  their  letters. 

The  Treasury  Department  was  justly  supposed  to  be  the  key  to 
national  success.  It  was  at  least  the  twin,  in  importance,  with  the 
War  Office.  Mr.  Memminger,  of  South  Carolina,  was  a  self-made 
man,  who  had  managed  the  finances  of  his  state  and  had  made  repu- 
tation for  some  financiering  ability  and  much  common  sense.  He 
had,  moreover,  the  advantage  of  being  a  new  man ;  and  the  critics 
were  willing  to  give  him  the  benefit  of  common  law,  until  he  should 
prove  himself  guilty.  Still  the  finance  of  the  country  was  so  vital, 
and  came  home  so  nearly  to  every  man  in  it,  that  perhaps  a  deeper 
anxiety  was  fdt  about  its  management  than  that  of  any  other  branch. 

The  Attorney-General,  or  chief  of  the  Department  of  Justice, 
had  a  reputation  as  wide  as  the  continent — and  as  far  as  mental 
ability  and  legal  knowledge  went,  there  could  be  no  question  among 
,  the  growlers  as  to  his  perfect  qualifications  for  the  position.  Mr. 
was  not  only  the  successful  politician,  who  had 


xisen  from  obscurity  to  become  the  leader  of  Jhis  party  in  the  Senate, 
•and  its  exponent  of  the  constitutional  questions  involved  in  its  action ; 
but  he  was,  also,  the  first  Jawyer  at  the  bar  of  the  Supreme  Court 

•  and  was  known  as  a  ripe  and  cultivated  scholar.     So  the  people  who 
:  shook  their  heads  at  him — and  they  were  neither  few  nor  far  be- 

-  tween — did  it  on  other  grounds  than  that  of  incapacity. 

This  was  the  popular  view  of  that  day  at  the  new  Capital.  The 
'  country  at  large  had  but  little  means  of  knowing  the  real  stuff  of 
which  the  Cabinet  was  made.  It  is  true,  four  of  the  six  were  old 
and  thoroughly  broken  party  horses,  who  had  for  years  cantered 
around  the  Washington  arena,  till  the  scent  of  its  sawdust  was  dear 
•to  their  nostrils.  But  the  people  knew  little  of  them  individually 


4 


Four  Years  in  Rebel  Capitals.  35 

and  took  their  tone  from  the  politicians  of  the  past.     So — as  it  is  a 
known  fact  that  politicians  are  never  satisfied — the  Cabinet  and  Con-       ^ 
.gress,  as  tried  in  the  hotel  alembic,  were  not  found  pure  gold. 

So  the  country  grumbled.  The  newspapers  snarled,  criticised 
and  asserted,  with  some  show  of  truth,  that  things  were  at  a  dead 
standstill,  and  that  nothing  practical  had  been  accomplished. 

Such  was  the  aspect  of  affairs  at  Montgomery,  when  on  the  loth 
of  April,  Governor  Pickens,  of  South  Carolina,  telegraphed  that  the 
Government  at  Washington  had  notified  him  of  its  intention  to  sup-        / 
ply  Fortjbumter — "Peaceably  if  we  can ;  forcibly  if  we  must." 

Bulletins  were  posted  before  the  Exchange,  the  newspaper  office 
and  the  "Government  House;"  and  for  two  days  there  was  intense 
suspense  as  to  what  course  the  South  would  pursue.  Then  the  news 
flashed  over  the  wires  that,  on  the  morning  of  the  i2th_of  April, 
Beauregard  had  opened  the  ball  in  earnest,  by  commencing  the 
bombardment  of  Fort  Sumter.  This  caused  the  excitement  to  go  up 
to  fever  heat ;  and  the  echo  of  that  first  gun  made  every  heart  in  the 
breadth  of  the  land  bound  with  quickened  throb.  Business  was 
suspended,  all  the  stores  in  the  town  were  closed,  while  crowds  at 
the  hotels  and  in  the  streets  became  larger  and  more  anxious  as  the 
day  wore  on.  Various  and  strange  were  the  speculations  as  to  the 
issue  of  the  fight  and  its  consequences;  but  the  conviction  came, 
like  a  thunder  clap  upon  the  most  skeptical,  that  there  was  to  be  war 
after  all ! 


36  Four  Years  in  Rebel  Capitals. 


CHAPTER   IV. 

"THE  AWAKENING  OF  THE  LION." 

When  tidings  came  of  the  fall  of  Fort  Sumter,  there  was  wild 
rejoicing  throughout  the  South  and  it  culminated  at  her  Capital.  All 
the  great,  and  many  of  the  little  men  of  the  Government  were 
serenaded  by  bands  of  the  most  patriotic  musical  persuasion.  Bon- 
fires blazed  in  every  street  and,  by  their  red  glare,  crowds  met  and 
exchanged  congratulations,  amid  the  wildest  enthusiasm  ;  while  the 
beverage  dear  to  the  cis-Atlantic  heart  was  poured  out  in  libations 
wonderful  to  see ! 

One-half  of  the  country  thought  that  this  victory  of  a  few  un- 
trained gunners  would  prevent  further  progress  of  the  war ;  that  the 
Federal  Government,  seeing  how  determined  was  the  stand  the  South 
had  taken — how  ready  she  was  to  defend  her  principles — would 
recede  and  grant  the  concessions  demanded.  The  other  half  felt 
that,  however  fair  an  augury  for  the  future  the  great  and  bloodless 
victory  might  be — and  it  will  be  recollected  that  the  only  loss  was 
the  death  of  a  few  United  States  soldiers,  in  the  salute  Beauregard 
permitted  them  to  give  their  flag — the  real  tug  of  the  struggle  was 
not  yet  commenced ;  that  the  whole  power  of  a  government,  never 
yet  overstrained,  or  even  fully  tested,  would  be  hurled  on  the  new 
confederation,  to  crush  ere  it  could  concentrate  its  strength. 

The  Confederate  Government  was  on  the  side  of  this  opinion ; 
and  now,  for  the  first  time,  preparations  for  war  began  in  earnest. 
Though  the  people  of  Montgomery  still  murmured,  as  they  had 
done  from  the  beginning,  at  the  influx  of  corrupting  social  influences 
from  Sodom  on  the  Potomac,  and  still  held  the  hordes  of  unintro- 
duced  strangers  aloof  from  their  firesides,  they  continued  most 
strenuous  exertions  and  made  most  selfless  sacrifices  to  serve  the 
beloved  cause.  Storehouses  were  freely  offered  for  the  public  use ; 
and  merchants  moved  from  their  places  of  business,  on  shortest 
notice,  to  turn  them  over  to  the  Government. 


Four  Years  in  Rebel  Capitals.  37 

A  great,  red  brick  pile,  originally  built  for  warehouses  and 
counting-rooms,  had  early  been  converted  into  public  offices  and  pop- 
ularly named  the  "Government  House."  Here  the  departments 
were  all  crowded  together;  and  now,  under  the  pressure  of  close 
necessity,  the  War  office  was  organized  into  bureaux,  at  the  heads  of 
which  were  placed  the  most  competent  officers  of  the  old  service  at 
the  disposal  of  the  Executive.  Bureaux  of  Adjutant-General,  Ord- 
nance, Engineers  and  Medicine  were  soon  put  in  as  perfect  a  state  as 
the  condition  of  the  South  allowed ;  and  their  respective  chiefs  were 
tireless  in  endeavor  to  collect  the  very  best  assistants  and  material,  in 
their  various  branches,  from  every  quarter. 

Commissioners  were  sent  to  all  the  states  that  had  not  already 
joined  the  Confederacy,  to  urge  them  to  speedy  action ;  and  the  dis- 
patches they  sent  back  were  so  full  of  cheer,  that  day  after  day  a 
salute  of  cannon  from  the  street  in  front  of  the  Government  House 
announced  to  the  roused  Montgomerans  that  another  ally  had  enlisted 
under  the  flag;  or,  that  a  fresh  levy  of  troops,  from  some  unex- 
pected quarter,  had  been  voted  to  the  cause. 

Officers,  carefully  selected  from  those  who  left  the  United  States 
Army,  or  who  had  received  military  education  elsewhere,  were 
promptly  sent  to  all  points  in  the  South,  to  urge  and  hasten  the 
organization  of  troops;  to  forward  those  already  raised  to  points 
where  they  might  be  most  needed ;  and  to  establish  recruiting  stations 
and  camps  of  instruction.  The  captured  arsenals  were  put  in  work- 
ing order,  new  ones  were  started,  depots  for  clothes,  ordnance  and 
medicines  were  prepared ;  and  from  one  boundary  of  the  Confeder- 
acy to  the  other,  the  hum  of  preparation  told  that  the  leaders  of  the 
nation  had  at  last  awakened  to  its  real  demands. 

The  mass  of  the  people — who,  from  the  first,  had  been  willing  and 
anxious,  but  doubtful  what  to  do — now  sprang  to  their  places ;  mon- 
eyed men  made  large  and  generous  donations  of  cash;  the  banks 
offered  loans  of  any  amount,  on  most  liberal  terms ;  planters  from 
every  section  made  proffers  of  provisions  and  stock,  in  any  quantities 
needed ;  and  the  managers  of  all  the  railroads  in  the  South  held  a 
convention  at  Montgomery  and  proffered  the  use  of  their  roads  to  the 
Government ;  volunteering  to  charge  only  half-rates,  and  to  receive 
payment  in  the  bonds  of  the  Confederate  States. 

Especially  did  the  women  go  heart  and  soul  into  the  work ;  urging 


38  Four  Years  in  Rebel  Capitals. 

the  laggards,   encouraging  the  zealous,  and  laboring  with  sacrificial 
zeal  upon  rough  uniforms  for  the  most  unprepared  of  the  new  troops. 

The  best  blood  of  the  South  went  cheerfully  into  the  ranks,  as  the 
post  of  honor;  and  the  new  regiments  endeavored  to  be  perfectly 
impartial  in  selecting  the  best  men  for  their  officers,  irrespective  of 
any  other  claim.  That  they  failed  signally  in  their  object  was  the 
fault,  not  of  their  intention,  but  of  human  nature  in  many  cases — of 
circumstance  in  all. 

At  this  time  the  plan  of  filling  up  the  regular  army  was  aban^ 
doned.  Officers  coming  from  the  United  States  service  were,  by 
law,  entitled  to  at  least  as  high  rank  in  it  as  they  had  there  held ;  but 
volunteers  were  asked  for  and  accepted  by  companies,  or  regiments, 
with  the  privilege  of  choosing  their  own  leaders ;  and  these  regulars 
were  only  given  commands  where  vacancies,  or  the  exigencies  of  the 
service,  seemed  to  demand  it  imperatively. 

Every  hour  of  the  day  could  be  heard  the  tap  of  the  drum,  as  the 
new  troops  from  depot,  or  steamer,  marched  through  the  town  to 
their  camps  in  the  suburbs ;  or  as  the  better  drilled  volunteer  compa- 
nies passed  through  to  Pensacola,  where  Brigadier-General  Braxton 
Bragg  already  had  a  considerable  force.  And  toward  that  point 
every  eye  was  strained  as  the  next  great  theater  of  action. 

All  day  long  the  churches  were  open,  and  crowds  of  ladies,  from 
town  and  country,  assembled  in  them  and  sewed  on  the  tough, 
ungainly  pants  and  jackets ;  while  their  negro  maids,  collected  on 
the  porches,  or  under  the  trees,  worked  as  steadily  as  their  mis- 
tresses, many  a  ringing  guffaw  and  not  unmusical  song  rising  above 
them. 

Great  numbers  of  the  interested  and  the  curious  visited  the  camps, 
carrying  substantial  tokens  of  sympathy  for  the  cause  and  its  defend- 
ers in  the  shape  of  hams,  loaves  and  sometimes  bottles.  Nor  was 
such  testimony  often  irrelevant;  for  as  yet  the  quartermaster  and 
commissary — those  much-erring  and  more-cursed  adjuncts  to  all 
armies — were  not  fully  aware  of  what  they  were  to  do,  or  how  to  do 
it,  even  with  the  means  therefor  provided.  But  the  South  was  at  last 
awake !  And  again  the  popular  voice  averred  that  it  was  not  Con- 
gress, or  Cabinet ;  that  the  President  alone  was  the  motive  power ; 
that  his  strong  hand  had  grasped  the  chaos  and  reduced  it  to  some^ 
thing  like  order.  Rapidly  one  needful  and  pointed  law  after  another 


Four  Years  in  Rebel  Capitals.  39 

emanated  from  Congress;  and  what  had  been  a  confused  mass  of 
weak  resolves  assumed  shape  as  clear  and  legible  statutes.  It  wa« 
generally  said  that  Mr.  Davis  had  reduced  Congress  to  a  pliable 
texture  that  his  iron  fingers  could  twist  at  will  into  any  form  they 
pleased.  Newspaper  correspondents  wrote  strange  stories  of  the 
length  to  which  that  dignified  body  allowed  him  to  carry  his  preroga- 
tive. They  declared  that  frequently,  the  framing  of  a  bill  not  suiting; 
him,  it  was  simply  returned  by  his  private  secretary,  with  verbal 
instructions  as  to  emendations  and  corrections,  which  were  obediently 
carried  out. 

Some  even  went  to  the  length  of  asserting  that,  before  any  bill 
of  importance  was  framed,  a  rough  draft  was  sent  down  from  the 
President's  office  and  simply  put  into  form  and  voted  a  law  by  the 
ductile  legislators. 

However  much  of  this  one  may  allow  for  exaggeration  of  "our 
correspondent,"  it  is  certain  that  Mr.  Davis  was  the  heart  and  brains 
of  the  government;  and  his  popularity  with  the  people  was,  at  this 
time,  unbounded.  They  were  perfectly  content  to  think  that  the 
government  was  in  the  hollow  of  his  hand;  and  pronounced  any  of 
his  measures  good  before  they  were  tried.  His  energy,  too,  was 
untiring ;  and  it  was  wonderful  to  look  on  the  frail  body  and  believe 
that  it  endured  the  terrible  physical  and  mental  strain  he  imposed 
upon  it. 

At  this  time  the  President  and  his  family,  having  left  their  tempo- 
rary quarters  at  the  hotel,  were  living  at  a  plain  mansion  provided  for- 
them,  but  a  few  steps  from  the  Government  House.  In  the  latter 
building  were  the  executive  office  and  the  Cabinet  room,  connected 
by  an  always  open  door;  and  in  one  or  the  other  of  these  Mr.  Davis . 
spent  some  fifteen  hours  out  of  every  twenty-four.  Here  he  received 
the  thousands  of  visitors  whom  curiosity,  or  business,  brought;  con- 
sulted with  his  secretaries,  revised  bills,  or  framed  new  projects  for 
strengthening  the  defenses  of  the  open  and  wide  frontier.  It  was, 
said  that  he  managed  the  War  Department,  in  all  its  various  details,, 
in  addition  to  other  manifold  labors ;  finding  time  not  only  to  give 
it  a  general  supervision,  but  to  go  into  all  the  minutiae  of  the  work- 
ing of  its  bureaux,  the  choice  of  all  its  officers,  or  agents,  and  the 
very  disbursement  of  its  appropriations. 

His  habits  were  as  simple  as  laborious.     He  rose  early,  worked 


40  Four  Years  in  Rebel  Capitals. 

at  home  until  breakfast,  then  to  a  long  and  wearing  day  at  the  Gov- 
ernment House.  Often,  long  after  midnight,  the  red  glow  from  his 
office  lamp,  shining  over  the  mock-orange  hedge  in  front  of  his  dwell- 
ing, told  of  unremitting  strain.  Thus  early  in  the  drama,  Mr.  Benja- 
min had  become  one  of  its  leading  actors ;  having  more  real  weight 
and  influence  with  Mr.  Davis  than  any,  or  all,  of  his  other  advisers. 
The  President  did  not  believe  there  was  ' '  safety  in  a  multitude  of 
counsellors;"  and  he  certainly  chose  the  subtlest,  if  not  the  safest,  head 
of  the  half-dozen  to  aid  him.  With  Mr.  Mallory,  too,  he  seemed  on 
very  friendly  and  confidential  terms.  These  two  he  met  as  friends 
and  advisers ;  but  beside  them,  the  Cabinet — as  such — had  scarcely  a 
practical  existence.  Mr.  Davis  very  naturally  considered  that  the 
War  Department  had  become  the  government,  and  he  managed  it 
accordingly.  The  secretaries  were,  of  course,  useful  to  arrange  mat- 
ters formally  in  their  respective  branches;  but  they  had  scarcely 
higher  duties  left  them  than  those  of  their  clerks;  while  Congress 
remained  a  formal  body  to  pass  bills  and  ratify  acts,  the  inspiration 
for  which  it  derived  from  the  clearest  and  coolest  brain  in  the  South. 

The  crisis  had  called  in  plain  terms  that  it  was  time  for  the  lead- 
ing spirit  of  the  revolution  to  take  its  management ;  and  he  had  risen 
to  the  occasion  and  faced  the  responsibilities,  before  which  the  chosen 
of  the  new  nation  had  hitherto  cowered. 

And  naturally,  under  the  iron  hand,  things  began  to  work  more 
smoothly  than  they  had  under  the  King-Log  reign  of  a  few  weeks 
previous ;  and  the  country  felt  the  change  from  the  Potomac  to  the 
Gulf.  True,  politicians  still  grumbled,  but  less  loudly  ;  for  even  they 
found  something  to  do,  where  everybody  began  to  be  busy.  The 
great  crowd  that  at  first  collected  had  thinned  greatly,  from  assign- 
ments to  duty  in  divers  quarters ;  and  that  portion  of  it  left  in  Mont- 
gomery began  to  settle  into  a  regular  routine. 

The  ladies  of  the  executive  mansion  held  occasional  receptions, 
after  the  Washington  custom,  at  which  were  collected  the  most  brill- 
iant, the  most  gallant  and  most  honored  of  the  South.  But  the  citi- 
zens still  held  aloof  from  general  connection  with  the  alien  crowd. 
They  could  not  get  rid  of  their  idea  that  Sodom  had  come  to  be  im- 
posed on  them ;  and  to  their  prejudiced  nostrils  there  was  an  odor 
of  sulphur  in  everything  that  savored  of  Washington  society.  And 
yet,  while  they  grumbled — these  older  people  of  Montgomery — they 


Four  Years  in  Rebel  Capitals.  41 

wrought,  heart  and  soul  for  the  cause ;  yielded  their  warerooms  for 
government  use,  contributed  freely  in  money  and  stores,  let  their 
wives  and  daughters  work  on  the  soldiers'  clothing  like  seamstresses, 
and  put  their  first-born  into  the  ranks,  musket  on  shoulder. 

Early  on  the  morning  of  the  i8th  of  April,  a  salute  of  seven  guns 
rang  out  from  the  street  before  the  public  building.  The  telegraph 
had  brought  the  most  welcome  news  that,  on  the  evening  before, 
Virginia  had  passed  the  ordinance  of  secession. 

Wild  was  the  rejoicing  at  the  southern  Capital  that  day ! 

The  Old  Dominion  had  long  and  sedately  debated  the  question ; 
had  carefully  considered  the  principles  involved  and  canvassed  the 
pros  and  cons,  heedless  alike  of  jeers  from  without  and  hot-headed 
counsels  within  her  borders. 

She  had  trembled  long  in  the  balance  so  tenderly  adjusted,  that  the 
straining  eyes  of  the  South  could  form  no  notion  how  it  would  lean ; 
but  now  she  turned  deliberately  and  poured  the  vast  wealth  of  her 
influence,  of  her  mineral  stores  and  her  stalwart  and  chivalric  sons 
into  the  lap  of  the  Confederacy. 

The  victory  of  the  week  before  paled  before  this ;  and  men  looked 
at  each  other  with  a  hope  in  their  eyes  that  spoke  more  than  the 
braying  of  a  thousand  bands. 

And  the  triumph  was  a  double  one ;  for  great  as  was  the  accession 
to  the  South  in  boundary,  in  men  and  means,  greater  far  was  the 
blow  to  the  Union,  when  its  eldest  and  most  honored  daughter 
divorced  herself  from  the  parent  hearth  and  told  the  world,  that 
looked  on  with  deep  suspense,  that  the  cause  of  her  sisters  must  in 
future  be  her  own! 


42  Four  Years  in  Rebel  Capitals. 


CHAPTER  V. 

A    SOUTHERN    RIVER   BOAT    RACE. 

"Hurry,  my  boy !  Pack  up  your  traps  and  get  ready  for  the  boat," 
cried  Styles  Staple,  bursting  into  my  room  in  his  usual  sudden  fash- 
ion the  day  we  got  the  news  from  Virginia.  "All's  fixed.  The 
colonel,  you  and  I  are  to  have  a  trip  of  a  week,  stop  at  Mobile  and 
then  run  down  t'  Orleans ! " 

So  by  sundown  we  were  quietly  smoking  our  cigars  on  the  topmost 
deck  of  the  ''Southern  Republic." 

Nowhere  in  the  world  can  be  found  just  such  boats  as  those  that 
navigate  our  south-western  rivers.  Great  three  or  four- storied  con- 
structions, built  upon  mere  flats  of  the  lightest  possible  draught,  with 
length  and  breadth  of  beam  sufficient  to  allow  storage  room  for  an 
immense  number  of  cotton  bales  and  barrels  upon  the  lowest  deck ; 
with  their  furnaces,  boilers  and  machinery  all  above  the  water  line, 
they  look  like  up-country  hotels  that,  having  got  out  of  their  element, 
contemplate  a  down-trip  for  the  benefit  of  their  health — or  cuisine. 

The  "Southern  Republic"  was  a  new  boat,  built  after  the  most 
approved  plan,  on  a  scale  of  size  and  magnificence  unequaled  on  the 
river.  Sitting  flat  and  square  upon  the  water,  her  four  decks  rising 
one  above  the  other — with  the  thousand  doors  and  windows  of  her 
state-rooms  seeming  to  peer  like  eyes  over  the  balconies  around 
them — she  seemed  more  like  some  fabled  marine  monster  than  a  vessel 
meant  for  speed1  and  comfort.  Her  length  was  immense,  and  her 
draught  necessarily  very  light — not  four  feet  when  full  loaded ;  for  the 
Alabama  is  subject  to  many  vagaries  and  what  was  a  clear  channel 
yesterday  may  be  only  a  two-foot  shoal  to-day.  Of  course,  with 
solidity  and  strength  sacrificed  to  this  extreme  lightness,  when  the 
powerful  engines  are  put  to  any  strain,  the  high,  thin  fabric  thrills 
from  stem  to  stern  with  their  every  puff,  like  a  huge  card-house. 

The  speed  of  a  first-class  high-pressure  boat  is  very  great  in  the 
longer  "  reaches ; "  but,  the  Alabama  is  a  most  tortuous  stream.  Often 
you  stand  by  the  pilot-house  and  see,  right  under  the  quarter,  a 


Four  Years  in  Rebel  Capitals.  43 

gleaming  streak  of  water  across  a  neck  of  land  over  which  you  might 
toss  a  stone;  and  yet  you  may  steam  on  miles  around  the  point  that 
juts  ahead,  before  you  get  into  it. 

The  "Southern  Republic,"  from  her  immense  size  and  unusually 
handsome  equipment,  was  a  novelty  even  to  the  river  people ;  and 
each  afternoon  of  her  starting,  crowds  came  aboard  to  bid  farewell 
to  friends  and  roam  over  the  vessel,  or  collected  on  the  bluffs 
above  to  see  her  swing  out  to  the  shrill  notes  of  her  "calliope,"  the 
best  and  least  discordant  on  the  river.  A  few  evenings  before  we 
left,  a  large  party  had  collected  in  honor  of  General  Earl  Van  Dorn. 
He  had  recently  resigned ;  and  the  commission  as  colonel  of  the  only 
regiment  of  regular  cavalry  in  the  Confederacy  was  tendered  him. 
Now,on  the  eve  of  departure  for  his  well-known  expedition  to  Texas — 
then  considered  a  momentous  and  desperate  one — numbers  of  fair 
women  thronged  the  bluffs  to  catch  a  glimpse  of  the  hero  of  the  hour, 
while  friends  gathered  round  to  grasp  the  hand,  than  which  no  firmer 
ever  drew  blade ! 

Few  men  had  started  in  the  war  with  brighter  auspices  and  more 
ardent  well-wishings — none  could  have  had  a  sadder  ending !  I 
remember  well  the  last  sight  I  ever  had  of  his  neat  but  powerfully- 
knit  figure,  as  he  stood  with  one  hand  resting  on  the  rail  of  the  upper 
deck  and  the  other  raising  his  broad  sombrero  over  the  clear,  sharp 
features,  with  the  peaked  moustache  and  beard  of  the  cuirassier.  A 
brilliant  and  handsome  staff  surrounded  him  ;  from  the  bluffs,  the 
ladies  waved  their  handkerchiefs  and  the  men  their  hats ;  the  wild 
notes  of  the  calliope  echoed  back  the  "  Marseillaise; "  but  in  memo- 
ry's photograph  of  the  scene,  his  figure  alone — the  proud  swell  of  the 
thin  nostril  and  the  deep,  smothered  flame  in  the  cold  gray  eye — 
stands  out  clear  and  sharp. 

We  are  aboard  the  "Southern  Republic;"  the  last  bell  has 
sounded,  the  last  belated  trunk  has  been  trundled  over  the  plank ; 
and  we  are  off,  the  calliope  screaming  "Dixie"  like  ten  thousand 
devils,  the  crowds  on  the  bank  waving  us  ban  voyage  ! 

The  main  saloon  of  the  boat  was  a  spacious  apartment,  a  hundred 
feet  long  by  thirty  in  breadth,  gorgeously  decorated  with  modern 
paint  and  brilliantly  lighted  ;  the  galleries  leading  to  the  state-rooms 
rising  tier  upon  tier  entirely  around  it,  while  above,  a  skylight  of 
tinted  glass  shed  a  soft,  warm  light. 


44  Four  Years  in  Rebel  Capitals. 

There  were  offices,  card-rooms,  bar-rooms  aboard  all  these  boats ; 
and  as  the  down-trip  occupies  from  forty-eight  to  one  hundred 
hours — according  to  the  stage  of  the  river  and  the  luck  in  running 
aground,  a  performance  to  be  expected  once  in  each  trip — we 
become  quite  a  mutual  amusement  community  by  the  time  it  is  over. 

This  trip  the  boat  was  very  crowded,  and  at  supper  the  effect  of  the 
line  of  small  tables,  filled  with  officers  in  uniform,  ladies  tastefully 
dressed  and  a  sprinkling  of  homespun  coats — all  reflected  in  the  long 
mirror — was  very  bright  and  gay.  After  meals,  there  is  generally  a 
promenade  on  the  upper  deck,  where  people  talk,  smoke,  inspect 
each  other  and  flirt.  They  then  adjourn  to  state-room,  saloon  or 
card-room,  to  lounge  or  read  to  kill  time ;  for  the  Alabama  is  any- 
thing but  a  picturesque  stream,  with  its  low,  marshy  banks  only 
varied  by  occasional  ' '  cotton  slides  "  and  ' '  negro  quarters." 

This  night  was  splendidly  clear,  the  moon  bright  as  day,  and  Sta- 
ple and  I  with  our  cigars  staid  on  deck  to  scrape  acquaintance  with  the 
pilot  and  the  small,  seedy  Frenchman  who  officiated  at  the  calliope.  He 
was  an  original  in  his  way — "  the  Professor" — his  head  like  a  bullet, 
garnished  with  hair  of  the  most  wiry  blackness,  cut  close  as  the  scis- 
sors could  hold  it,  looking  like  the  most  uncompromising  porcupine. 
Of  course,  he  was  a  political  refugee. 

" Dixie!  Aire  nationale!  pas  bonne  chose!"  he  exclaimed,  seating 
himself  at  his  instrument  and  twirling  a  huge  moustache.  "Fot'Ia 
le  Marseillaise  !  Zat  make  hymn  national  for  you  !  "  And  he  made 
the  whistle  roar  and  shriek  in  a  way  to  have  sent  the  red  caps  into 
the  air  a  hundred  miles  away. 

"Grand!  Splendid!"  roared  Styles  above  the  steam.  "Why, 
Professor,  you're  a  genius.  Come  and  take  some  brandy." 

The  professor  banged  the  lid  of  his  instrument,  led  the  way 
instanter  down  to  our  state-room;  and,  once  there,  did  take  some- 
thing ;  then  something  else  and,  finally,  something  more,  till  he  got 
very  thick-tongued  and  enthusiastic. 

"Grand  aire  of  ze  Liberte!"  he  cried  at  last,  mounting  again 
to  his  perch  by  the  smoke-stack.  "  Song  compose  by  me  for  one 
grand  man — ze  Van  Dorn.  I  make  zees — me,  myself — and  dedicate 
to  heem ! "  And  he  banged  at  the  keys  till  he  tortured  the  steam 
into  the  Liberty  duet,  from  "Puritani" 

"  How  you  fine  zat,  eh?    Zat  makes  ze  hymn  for  ze  Souse.     Me, 


Four  Years  in  Rebel  Capitals.  45 

I  am  republicain !  Voila  !  I  wear  ze  moustache  of  ze  revolutionaire — 
my  hairs  cut  themselves  en  mecontent!  Were  zere  colere  more  red  as 
red,  I  should  be  zat ! " 

The  professor  was  so  struck  by  the  brilliancy  of  this  idea,  that  he 
played  the  air  again,  until  it  rang  like  a  phantom  chorus  over  the 
still  plantations.  At  last,  overcome  by  emotion  and  brandy,  he  slid 
from  the  stool  and  sat  at  the  foot  of  the  smoke-stack,  muttering : 

"Zat  is  ze  hymn — hie — dedicate  to  ze  general  and  to  ze — hie — 
countree !  "  Then  he  slept  the  sleep  of  the  just  conscience. 

"Thar's  the  'Senator,'  and  she's  gainin'  on  us,"  said  the  pilot, 
as  we  walked  forward,  pointing  to  a  thin  column  of  smoke  rising  over 
the  trees  just  abreast  of  us. 

"How  far  astern?" 

"A  matter  of  two  mile  round  that  pint." 

"  Splendid  night  for  a  race,"  muttered  Styles.  "Will  she  overtake 
us,  Cap'n?" 

' '  Wail,  maibee  !  "  replied  the  old  river  dog,  while  the  most  pro- 
fessional grin  shot  over  his  hard- wooden  features.  "Specially  ef  I 
ease  up  this  'ar  ole  gal." 

"  Ha!  Now  we'll  have  it.  We  won't  turn  in  just  now,"  chuck- 
led Styles,  banging  me  in  the  back. 

Almost  imperceptibly  our  speed  slackens,  the  thin  dark  column 
creeps  nearer  round  the  trees  on  the  point  in  our  wake ;  at  last  the 
steamer  bursts  into  sight,  not  a  pistol  shot  astern. 

There  is  a  sharp  click  of  our  pilot's  bell,  a  gasping  throb,  as  if 
our  boat  took  a  deep,  long  breath;  and  just  as  the  "  Senator  "  makes 
our  wheel  we  dash  ahead  again,  with  every  stroke  of  the  piston 
threatening  to  rack  our  frail  fabric  into  shreds. 

The  river  here  is  pretty  wide  and  the  channel  deep  and  clear. 
The  "Senator"  follows  in  gallant  style,  now  gaining  our  quarter, 
now  a  boat's  length  astern — both  engines  roaring  and  snorting  like 
angry  hippopotami;  both  vessels  rocking  and  straining  till  they  seem 
to  paw  their  way  through  the  churned  water. 

Talk  of  horse-racing  and  rouge-et-noir!  But  there  is  no  excitement 
that  can  approach  boat-racing  on  a  southern  river !  One  by  one  peo- 
ple pop  up  the  ladders  and  throng  the  rails.  First  come  the  unem- 
ployed deck-hands,  then  a  stray  gentleman  or  two,  and  finally  ladies 
and  children,  till  the  rail  is  full  and  every  eye  is  anxiously  strained 
to  the  opposite  boat. 


46  Four  Years  in  Rebel  Capitals. 

She  holds  her  own  wondrous  well,  considering  the  reputation  of 
ours.  At  each  burst,  when  she  seems  to  gain  on  us,  the  crowd 
hold  their  breath;  as  she  drops  off  again  there  is  a  deep-drawn, 
gasping  sign  of  relief,  like  wind  in  the  pines.  Even  the  colonel  has 
roused  himself  from  dreams  of  turtle  at  the  St.  Charles,  and  red  fish 
at  Pensacola ;  coming  on  deck  in  a  shooting  jacket  and  glengary  cap, 
that  make  him  look  like  a  jaunty  Fosco.  He  leans  over  the  stern 
rail,  smoking  his  cabana  in  long,  easy  whiffs  as  we  gain  a  length ; 
sending  out  short,  angry  puffs  at  the  "Senator"  as  she  creeps  up  on 
us. 

Foot  by  foot,  we  gain  steadily  until  the  gap  is  widened  to  three 
or  four  boat-lengths,  though  the  "Senator"  piles  her  fires  till  the 
shores  behind  her  glow  from  their  reflection ;  and  her  decks — now 
black  with  anxious  lookers-on — send  up  cheer  after  cheer,  as  she 
snorts  defiantly  after  us. 

Suddenly  the  bank  seems  to  spring  up  right  under  our  port  bow  ! 
We  have  cut  it  too  close !  Two  sharp,  vicious  clicks  of  the  bell ;  our 
helm  goes  hard  down  and  the  engines  stop  with  a  sullen  jar,  as  I 
catch  a  hissing  curse  through  the  set  teeth  of  the  pilot. 

A  yell  of  wild  triumph  rises  from  the  rival's  deck.  On  she  comes 
in  gallant  style,  shutting  the  gap  and  passing  us  like  a  race-horse, 
before  we  can  swing  into  the  channel  and  recover  headway.  It  is  a 
splendid  sight  as  the  noble  boat  passes  us;  her  black  bulk  standing 
out  in  the  clear  moonlight  against  the  dim,  gray  banks  like  a  living 
monster ;  her  great  chimneys  snorting  out  volumes  of  massive  black 
smoke  that  trail  out  level  behind  her,  from  the  great  speed.  Her 
side  toward  us  is  crowded  with  men,  women  and  children ;  hats, 
handkerchiefs  and  hands  are  swung  madly  about  to  aid  the  effort  of 
the  hundred  voices. 

Close  down  to  the  water's  edge — scarce  above  the  line  of  foam 
she  cuts — her  lower  deck  lies  black  and  undefined  in  the  shadow  of 
the  great  mass  above  it.  Suddenly  it  lights  up  with  a  lurid  flash,  as 
the  furnace-doors  swing  wide  open ;  and  in  the  hot  glare  the  negro 
stokers — their  stalwart  forms  jetty  black,  naked  to  the  waist  and  stream- 
ing with  exertion  that  makes  the  muscles  strain  out  in  great  cords — 
show  like  the  distorted  imps  of  some  pictured  inferno.  They,  too, 
have  imbibed  the  excitement.  With  every  gesture  of  anxious  haste 
and  eyeballs  starting  from  their  dusky  heads,  some  plunge  the  long 


Four  Years  in  Rebel  Capitals.  47 

rakes  into  the  red  mouths  of  the  furnace,  twisting  and  turning  the 
crackling  mass  with  terrific  strength  ;  others  hurl  in  huge  logs  of 
resinous  pine,  already  heated  by  contact  till  they  burn  like  pitch. 
Then  the  great  doors  bang  to ;  the  Yo  I  Ho  !  of  the  negroes  dies  away 
and  the  whole  hull  is  blacker  from  the  contrast;  while  the  "Senator," 
puffing  denser  clouds  than  ever,  swings  round  the  point  a  hundred 
yards  ahead ! 

There  is  dead  silence  on  our  boat — silence  so  deep  that  the  rough 
whisper  of  the  pilot  to  the  knot  around  him  is  heard  the  whole  length 
of  her  deck  :  "  Damnation !  but  I'll  overstep  her  yit,  or bust !" 

"  Good,  old  man !"  responds  Styles — "  Let  her  out  and  I'll  stand 
the  wine !" 

Then  the  old  colonel  walks  to  the  wheel;  his  face  purple,  his 
glengary  pushed  back  on  his  head,  his  cigar  glowing  like  the  "  red 
eye  of  battle,"  as  he  puffs  angry  wheezes  of  smoke  through  his  nos- 
trils. 

"  Damned  hard!  sir — hard!  Egad!  I'd  burn  the  last  ham  in  the 
locker  to  overtake  her!" — and  he  hurls  the  glowing  stump  after  the 
"Senator,"  as  the  Spartan  youth  hurled  their  shields  into  the  thick 
of  the  battle  ere  rushing  to  reclaim  them. 

On  we  speed,  till  the  trees  on  the  bank  seem  to  fly  back  past  us ; 
and  round  the  point  to  see  the  "Senator,"  just  turning  another  curve ! 

On  still,  faster  than  ever,  with  every  glass  on  board  jingling  in  its 
frame  ;  every  joint  and  timber  trembling,  as  though  with  a  congestive 
chill ! 

Still  the  black  demons  below  ply  their  fires  with  the  fattest  logs, 
and  even  a  few  barrels  of  rosin  are  slyly  slipped  in ;  the  smoke 
behind  us  stretched  straight  and  flat  from  the  smoke-stack. 

Now  we  enter  a  straight,  narrow  reach  with  the  chase  just  before 
us.  Faster — faster  we  go  till  the  boat  fairly  rocks  and  swings  from 
side  to  side,  half  lifted  with  every  throb  of  the  engine.  Closer  and 
closer  we  creep — harder  and  harder  thump  the  cylinders — until  at 
last  we  close;  our  bow  just  lapping  her  stern!  So  we  run  a  few 
yards. 

Little  by  little — so  little  that  we  test  it  by  counting  her  windows — 
we  reach  her  wheel — pass  it — lock  her  bow,  and  run  nose  and  nose 
for  a  hundred  feet ! 

The  stillness  of  death  is  upon  both  boats ;  not  a  sound  but  the 


48  Four  Years  in  Rebel  Capitals. 

creak  and  shudder  as  they  struggle  on.  Suddenly  the  hard  voice  of 
our  old  pilot  crashes  through  it  like  a  broadaxe : 

11  Good-bye,  Sen' tor  !  I'll  send  yer  a  tug !" — and  he  gives  his  bell 
a  merry  click. 

Our  huge  boat  gives  one  shuddering  throb  that  racks  her  from 
end  to  end — one  plunge — and  then  she  settles  into  a  steady  rush  and 
forges  rapidly  and  evenly  ahead.  Wider  and  wider  grows  the  gap ; 
and  we  wind  out  of  sight  with  the  beaten  boat  five  hundred  yards 
behind  us. 

The  cigar  I  take  from  my  mouth,  to  make  way  for  the  deep,  long 
sigh,  is  chewed  to  perfect  pulp.  A  wild,  pent-up  yell  of  half-savage 
triumph  goes  up  from  the  crowded  deck ;  such  as  is  heard  nowhere 
besides,  save  where  the  captured  work  rewards  the  bloody  and  oft- 
repeated  charge.  Cheer  after  cheer  follows;  and,  as  we  approach 
the  thin  column  of  smoke  curling  over  the  trees  between  us,  Styles 
bestrides  the  prostrate  form  of  the  still  sleeping  professor  and  makes 
the  calliope  yell  and  shriek  that  classic  ditty,  "Old  Gray  Horse,  come 
out  of  the  Wilderness !"  at  the  invisible  rival. 

I  doubt  if  heartier  toast  was  ever  drunk  than  that  the  colonel  gave 
the  group  around  the  wheel-house,  when  Styles  "stood"  the  wine 
plighted  the  pilot.  The  veteran  was  beaming,  the  glengary  sat  jaunt- 
ily on  one  side ;  and  his  voice  actually  gurgled  as  he  said : 

"  Egad !  I'd  miss  my  dinner  for  a  week  for  this !  Gentlemen,  a 
toast !  Here's  to  the  old  boat !  God  bless  her sou!!" 


Four  Years  in  Rebel  Capitals. 


CHAPTER  VI. 

BOAT   LIFE   AFLOAT  AND   AGROUND. 

The  day  after  the  race  our  trio  exhausted  all  usual  resources  of 
boat  life.  We  lounged  in  the  saloon  and  saw  the  young  ladies  man- 
age their  beaux  and  the  old  ones  their  children ;  dropped  into  the 
card-rooms  and  watched  the  innocent  games — some  heavy  ones  of 
"draw poker"  with  a  "bale  better;"  some  light  ones  of  "all  fours," 
with  only  an  occasional  old  sinner  deep  in  chess,  or  solitaire.  For 
cards,  conversation,  tobacco,  yarns  and  the  bar  make  up  boat  life ; 
it  being  rare,  indeed,  that  the  ennui  is  attacked  from  the  barricade  of 
a  book.  Then  we  roamed  below  and  saw  the  negroes — our  demons 
of  the  night  before,  much  modified  by  sunlight — tend  the  fires  and 
load  cotton.  A  splendidly  developed  race  are  those  Africans  of  the 
river  boats,  with  shiny,  black  skins,  through  which  the  corded  and 
tense  muscles  seem  to  be  bursting,  even  in  repose.  Their  only  dress, 
as  a  general  thing,  is  a  pair  of  loose  pantaloons,  to  which  the  more 
elegant  add  a  fancy  colored  bandanna  knotted  about  the  head,  with 
its  wing-like  ends  flying  in  the  wind;  but  shirts  are  a  rarity  in  work- 
ing hours  and  their  absence  shows  a  breadth  of  shoulder  and  depth 
of  chest  remarkable,  when  contrasted  with  the  length  and  lank  power 
in  the  nether  limbs.  They  are  a  perfectly  careless  and  jovial  race, 
with  wants  confined  to  the  only  luxuries  they  know — plenty  to  eat, 
a  short  pipe  and  a  plug  of  "  nigger-head,"  with  occasional  drinks,  of 
any  kind  and  quantity  that  fall  to  their  lot.  Given  these,  they  are  as 
contented  as  princes ;  and  their  great  eyes  roll  like  white  saucers  and 
their  splendid  teeth  flash  in  constant  merriment. 

As  we  got  further  down  the  river,  the  flats  became  less  frequent 
and  high,  steep  bluffs  took  their  place ;  and  at  every  landing  along 
these  we  laid-by  for  cotton  and  took  in  considerable  quantities  of 
"the  king." 

Some  of  the  bluffs  were  from  sixty  to  eighty  feet  in  height;  and! 
down  these,  the  cotton  came  on  slides.     These,  in  most  cases,  were- 
4 


50  Four  Years  in  Rebel  Capitals. 

at  an  angle  of  forty-five  degrees,  or  less ;  strongly  constructed  of 
heavy  beams,  cross-tied  together  and  firmly  pegged  into  the  hard 
bluff-clay.  A  small,  solid  platform  at  the  bottom  completed  the 
slide. 

Scarcely  would  the  plank  be  run  out  when  the  heavy  bales  came 
bounding  down  the  slide,  gaining  momentum  at  every  yard  of  de- 
scent, till  at  the  bottom  they  had  the  velocity  of  a  cannon-ball.  The 
dexterity  and  strength  of  the  negroes  were  here  wonderfully  dis- 
played. 

Standing  at  the  edge  of  the  boat — or  at  the  foot  of  the  slide,  as 
the  conformation  of  the  landing  indicated — heavy  cotton-hook  in 
hand,  they  watch  the  descending  bale,  as  it  bounds  fiercely  toward 
them ;  and  just  at  the  right  moment  two  men,  with  infinite  dexterity 
of  hand  and  certainty  of  eye,  strike  their  hooks  firmly  into  the  bag- 
ging— holding  on  to  the  plunging  mass  and  going  with  it  halfway 
across  the  boat.  Full  in  front  of  it  a  third  stands,  like  a  matador 
ready  for  the  blow ;  and  striking  his  hook  deep  in  the  end,  by  a  sud- 
den and  simultaneous  twist  the  three  stand  the  bale  upon  end.  Once 
stopped,  two  or  three  more  jerks  of  the  hooks  and  it  is  neatly  stowed 
away  alongside,  or  on  top  of,  its  fellows. 

One  constantly  sees  huge  bales  of  from  five  to  six  hundred 
pounds  bound  down  a  slide  eighty  feet  high — scarcely  touching  the 
rail  more  than  three  times  in  their  steep  descent — looking  almost 
round  from  the  rapidity  of  their  motion.  Yet  two  negroes  drive 
their  hooks  into,  and  spin  along  with  them;  visibly  checking  their 
speed,  till  the  third  one  "heads  up"  and  stops  them  still,  in  half  a 
boat's  width. 

Sometimes  a  hook  slips,  the  bagging  gives,  or  the  footing  yields, 
when  the  mixed  mass  of  man  and  bale  rolls  across  the  boat  and  goes 
under  together.  But  frightful  as  it  looks  to  unaccustomed  eyes, 
a  more  serious  accident  than  a  ducking  seldom  occurs;  and  at  that, 
the  banks  resound  with  the  yells  of  laughter  Sambo  sends  after  his 
brother-in-water. 

"We've  pretty  thoroughly  done  the  boat,"  said  Styles,  about 
midday.  "Let's  go  up  to  the  professor's  den  and  see  if  his  head 
aches  from  {ze  Van  Dorn. '  " 

So  up  we  mounted,  passing  on  the  way  the  faro  bank,  that  adver- 
tises its  neighborhood  by  most  musical  jingling  of  chips  and  half 
dollars. 


Four   Years  in  Rebel  Capitals.  51 

"  Hello,  Spring  Chicken,"  cried  Styles,  to  a  youth  in  a  blue 
sack  with  shoulder  straps,  who  sat  at  the  door  of  a  state-room  near 
by.  "  Look  out  for  the  tiger!  I  hear  him  about." 

"No  danger,  me  boy,"  responded  the  youth.  "Fm  too  old  a 
stager  for  that." 

"Aye,  aye!  we  seen  that  before,"  put  in  his  companion,  a  but- 
toned middie  of  eighteen,  innocent  of  beard.  "  A  confounded 
pigeon  came  by  here  just  now,  jingling  his  halves  and  pretending 
he'd  won  'em.  Wasting  time !  Wasn't  he,  Styles  ?  We're  too  old 
birds  to  be  caught  with  chaff." 

"Look  alive,  my  hearty,"  answered  Staple,  "You're  pretty  near 
the  beast,  and  mamma  doesn't  know  you're  out."  With  which 
paternal  admonition  we  ascended. 

The  professor  was  still  in  a  deep  sleep ;  having  been  transferred 
by  the  aid  of  a  deck  hand,  or  two,  to  his  bower.  This  was  a  box  of 
a  state-room  six  feet  by  nine,  in  wh'ich  was  a  most  dilapidated  double- 
bass,  a  violin  case  and  a  French  horn.  Over  the  berth,  a  cracked 
guitar  hung  by  a  greasy  blue  ribbon.  Staple  waked  him  without 
ceremony — ordered  Congress  water,  pulled  out  the  instruments;  and 
soon  we  were  in  "a  concord  of  sweet  sounds,"  the  like  of  which  the 
mermaids  of  the  Alabama  had  not  heard  before. 

Suddenly,  in  the  midst  of  a  roaring  chorus,  there  was  a  short, 
heavy  jar  that  sent  us  pellmell  across  the  state-room ;  then  a  series  of 
grinding  jolts  ;  and,  amid  the  yelling  of  orders,  jangling  of  bells  and 
backing  of  the  wheels,  the  boat  swung  slowly  round  by  the  bows. 
We  were  hard  and  fast  aground  ! 

Of  all  the  unpleasant  episodes  of  river  travel,  the  worst  by  far  is 
to  be  grounded  in  the  daytime.  The  dreary  monotony  of  bank  and 
stream  as  you  glide  by  increases  ten-fold  when  lying,  hour  after 
hour,  with  nothing  to  do  but  gaze  at  it.  Under  this  trial  the  jolliest 
faces  grow  long  and  dismal;  quiet  men  become  dreadfully  blue  and 
the  saturnine  look  actually  suicidal.  Even  the  negro  hands  talk 
under  their  breath,  and  the  broad  Yah!  Yah!  comes  less  frequently 
from  below  decks. 

Here  we  lay,  two  miles  above  Selma — hard  and  fast,  with  en- 
gines and  anchors  equally  useless  to  move  us  a  foot — until  midnight. 
About  sundown  an  up-boat  passed  just  across  our  bows.  Little  is 
the  sympathy  a  grounded  boat  gets  unless  actually  in  danger.  Every 


52  Pour  Years  in  Rebel  Capitals. 

soul  aboard  of  her,  from  captain  to  cook's  boy,  seemed  to  think  us 
fair  game,  and  chaff  of  all  kinds  was  hailed  from  her  decks.  But  she 
threw  us  a  Selma  paper  of  that  evening,  and  a  hundred  eager  hands 
were  stretched  over  the  side  to  catch  it. 

It  fell  at  the  feet  of  a  slight,  wiry  man  of  about  fifty,  with  twink- 
ling gray  eyes,  prominent  features  and  fierce  gray  moustache.  There 
was  something  in  his  manner  that  kept  the  more  ardent  ones  from 
plucking  it  out  of  his  fingers,  as  he  stooped  quietly  to  pick  it  up;  but 
few  on  board  ever  knew  that  their  quiet  fellow-passenger  was  the 
most  widely  known  "rebel  of  them  all." 

Many  a  man  has  read,  with  quickening  breath,  of  the  bold  deeds 
of  Admiral  Raphael  Semmes ;  and  same  have  traced  his  blazing  track 
to  the,  perhaps,  Quixotic  joust  that  ended  his  wild  sea-kingship,  never 
recalling  that  impassive  fellow-passenger.  Yet  it  was  he  who,  seated 
on  the  rail  of  the  "  Southern  Republic,"  read  to  the  crowd  that 
evening. 

"What's  the  Washington  news?" — "Anything  more  from  Vir- 
ginia ! " — "  What  about  Tennessee  convention  ?  " —  "  Has  Bragg  com- 
menced business  ?  " — and  a  thousand  equally  eager  questions  popped 
from  the  impatient  crowd. 

"  There  is  news,  indeed !  "  answered  Captain  Semmes.  "  Listen, 
my  friends,  for  the  war  has  commenced  in  earnest." 

And  here,  on  the  quiet  southern  river,  we  first  heard  how  Balti- 
more had  risen  to  drive  out  the  troops;  how  there  had  been  wild 
work  made  in  spite  of  the  police,  and  how  hot  blood  of  her  citizens 
had  stained  the  streets  of  the  town.  The  account  ended  with  the 
city  still  in  frightful  commotion,  the  people  arming  and  companies 
assembling  at  their  armories;  and  without  even  hinting  the  number 
of  those  hurt  in  the  fight. 

No  more  ennui  on  board  now.  All  was  as  much  excitement  as  if 
we  were  racing  along  again ;  and,  through  the  buzz  and  angry  excla- 
mations of  the  knots  collected  on  all  hands,  we  could  catch  the  most 
varied  predictions  of  the  result,  and  speculations  as  to  President 
Lincoln's  real  policy. 

"  Maryland  must  act  at  once.  Egad,  sir,  at  once,  if  she  wants  to 
come  to  us,  sir,"  said  the  colonel,  haranguing  his  group.  "  If  she 
doesn't,  egad !  she'll  be  tied  hand  and  foot  in  a  week !  Facili? 
descensus,  you  know  !  " 


Four  Years  in  Rebel  Capitals.  53 

"Pshaw,  Baltimore's  noted  for  mobs,"  said  an  Alabamian. 
"This  is  only  a  little  more  than  usual.  In  a  week  she'll  forget  all 
about  it." 

"This  is  more  than  a  mob,"  answered  a  Virginian  quietly. 
"  Blood  must  come  out  of  it;  for  the  people  will  all  go  one  way 
now,  or  make  two  strong  and  bitter  parties.  For  my  part,  I  believe 
Maryland  will  be  with  us  before  this  boat  gets  off." 

Late  at  night  we  swung  loose  and  rushed  past  Selma,  with  the 
calliope  screaming  "Dixie"  and  "  ze  Van  Dorn ; "  for  the  professor 
was  himself  again  and  waxed  irate  and  red-patriotic  over  the  news. 
We  could  get  no  more  papers,  however ;  so  suspense  and  speculation 
continued  until  we  reached  Mobile. 

There  we  heard  of  the  quelling  of  the  riot;  of  the  course  of  the 
citizens;  of  Mr.  Lincoln's  pledges  to  the  Baltimore  committee,  that 
no  more  troops  should  pass  through  the  town ;  of  his  statement  that 
those  already  passed  were  only  intended  for  the  defense  of  the 
Capital. 

"  Pretty  fair  pledges,  Colonel,"  said  Styles,  when  we  got  this  last 
news. 

"Fair  pledges!"  responded  the  colonel,  with  serious  emphasis, 
"Egad,  sir!— we've  lost  a  State!" 


54  Four  Years  in  Rebel  Capitals. 


CHAPTER  VII. 

MOBILE,   THE   GULF  CITY. 

Mobile  was  in  a  state  of  perfect  ferment  when  we  arrived.  The 
news  from  Maryland  had  made  profound  sensation  and  had  dissipated 
the  delusive  hopes — indulged  there  as  well  as  in  Montgomery — like 
mists  before  the  sun. 

All  now  agreed  that  war  must  come.  Many  thought  it  already 
upon  them.  Groups,  anxious  and  steadfast,  filled  the  hotels,  the 
•clubs  and  the  post-office;  and  the  sense  of  all  was  that  Maryland  had 
spoken  not  one  hour  too  soon ;  having  spoken,  the  simple  duty  of  the 
South  was  to  prevent  harm  to  a  hair  of  her  head  for  words  said  in 
its  defense. 

Those  who  had  been  the  hottest  in  branding  the  action  of  Vir- 
ginia as  laggard,  looked  to  her  for  the  steadiest  and  most  efficient 
aid,  now  that  the  crisis  faced  them ;  while  all  felt  she  would  meet 
the  calls  of  the  hour  with  never  a  pause  for  the  result.  The  san- 
guine counted  on  Maryland,  bound  by  every  community  of  interest, 
every  tie  of  sympathy — as  already  one  of  the  Confederate  States. 
She  was  no  longer  neutral,  they  said.  She  had  put  her  lance  in  rest 
and  rallied  to  the  charge,  in  the  avowed  quarrel  that  the  troops  at- 
tacked were  on  their  way  to  oppress  her  next  sister.  And  nothing; 
could  follow  but  Virginia's  bright  falchion  must  flash  out,  and  the 
states  must  lock  shields  and  press  between  her  and  the  giant  she  had 
roused. 

The  Gulf  City  had  not  been  idle.  The  echo  of  the  first  gun  at 
Charleston  had  roused  her  people;  and  with  a  wonderful  accord 
they  had  sprung  to  arms.  Law  books  were  thrown  aside,  merchants 
locked  up  their  ledgers,  even  students  of  theology  forgot  that  they 
were  men  of  peace — and  all  enrolled  themselves  in  the  "  crack" 
companies.  No  wonder,  when  the  very  best  blood  of  the  state  ran 
in  the  veins  of  the  humblest  private ;  when  men  of  letters  and  cult- 
ure and  wealth  refused  any  but  "the  post  of  honor,"  with  musket 


Four  Years  in  Rebel  Capitals.  55 

on  shoulder;  when  the  most  delicate  fingers  of  their  fairest  worked 
the  flags  that  floated  over  them,  and  the  softest  voices  urged  them  to 
their  devoir;  no  wonder,  then,  that  high  on  the  roll  of  fame  are 
now  written  the  names  of  the  Mobile  Cadets — of  the  Gulf  City 
Guards — of  the  Rifles — and  enough  others  to  make  the  list  as  long  as 
Leporello's.  Not  one  in  ten  of  the  best  born  youth  of  Mobile  re- 
mained at  home;  the  mechanics,  the  stevedores  and  men  of  every 
class  flocked  to  follow  their  example,  so  that  the  city  alone  gave  two 
full  regiments  and  helped  to  fill  up  others.  The  news  from  Virginia 
and  Maryland  had  given  but  a  fresh  impetus  to  these  preparations  ; 
and,  before  my  return  to  Montgomery,  these  regiments  had  passed 
through,  on  their  way  to  the  new  battle  ground  on  the  Potomac 
frontier. 

On  the  night  of  our  arrival  in  the  Gulf  City,  that  escape  valve  for 
all  excitement,  a  dense  crowd,  collected  in  front  of  the  Battle  House 
and  Colonel  John  Forsyth  addressed  them  from  the  balcony.  He 
had  just  returned  from  Washington  with  the  southern  commissioners 
and  gave,  he  said,  a  true  narrative  of  the  manner  and  results  of  their 
mission.  At  this  lapse  of  time  it  is  needless  to  detail  even  the  sub- 
stance of  his  speech ;  but  it  made  a  marked  impression  on  the  crowd, 
as  the  surging  sea  of  upturned  faces  plainly  told.  John  Forsyth, 
already  acknowledged  one  of  the  ablest  of  southern  leaders,  was  a 
veritable  Harry  Hotspur.  His  views  brooked  no  delay  or  temporiz- 
ing ;  and,  as  he  spoke,  in  vein  of  fiery  elegance,  shouts  and  yells  of 
defiant  approval  rose  in  full  swell  of  a  thousand  voices.  Once  he 
named  a  noted  Alabamian,  whom  he  seemingly  believed  to  have, 
played  a  double  part  in  these  negotiations ;  and  the  excited  auditory 
greeted  his  name  with  hisses  and  execrations.  That  they  did  their 
fellow-citizen  injustice  the  most  trying  councils  of  the  war  proved ;. 
for  he  soon  after  came  South  and  wrought,  with  all  the  grand  power.- 
in  him,  during  the  whole  enduring  struggle.  -i 

Staple  was  tired  of  politics,  and  hated  a  crowd;  so  he  soon 
lounged  off  to  the  club,  an  institution  gotten  up  with  a  delightful 
regard  to  the  most  comfortable  arrangement  and  the  most  accom- 
plished chef'm  the  South.  There  one  met  the  most  cordial  hospitality, 
the  neatest  entertainment  and  the  very  best  wines  in  the  Gulf  section. 
The  cook  was  an  artist,  as  our  first  supper  declared ;  and  play  could 
be  found,  too,  as  needed ;  for  young  Mobile  was  not  slow,  and  money, 
in  those  days,  was  plenty. 


56  Four  Years  in  Rebel  Capitals. 

Altogether,  the  tone  of  Mobile  society  was  more  cosmopolitan 
than  that  of  any  city  of  the  South,  save,  perhaps,  New  Orleans.  It 
may  be  that  its  commercial  connections,  reaching  largely  abroad, 
produced  the  effect ;  or  that  propinquity  to  and  constant  intercourse 
with  its  sister  city  induced  freer  mode  of  thought  and  action.  Lo- 
cated at  the  head  of  her  beautiful  bay,  with  a  wide  sweep  of  blue 
water  before  her,  the  cleanly-built,  unpaved  streets  gave  Mobile  a 
fresh,  cool  aspect.  The  houses  were  fine  and  their  appointments  in 
good,  and  sometimes  luxurious,  taste.  The  society  was  a  very  pleas- 
ure-loving organization,  enjoying  the  gifts  of  situation,  of  climate  and 
of  fortune  to  their  full.  On  dit,  it  sometimes  forgot  the  Spartan 
code ;  but  the  stranger  was  never  made  aware  of  that,  for  it  ever 
sedulously  remembered  good  taste. 

Between  the  drives,  dinners  and  other  time-killers,  one  week 
slipped  around  with  great  rapidity ;  and  we  could  hardly  realize  it 
when  the  colonel  looked  over  his  newspaper  at  breakfast  and  said : 

"Last  day,  boys!  Egad!  the  cooking  here  is  a  little  different 
from  Montgomery — but  we  must  take  the  'Cuba'  this  evening." 

So  adieux  were  spoken,  and  at  dusk  we  went  aboard  the  snug, 
neat  little  Gulf  steamer  of  the  New  Orleans  line.  She  was  a  trimmer 
craft  than  our  floating  card-house  of  river  travel,  built  for  a  little  out- 
side work  in  case  of  necessity,  or  the  chances  of  a  norther. 

We  scudded  merrily  down  the  bay  toward  Fort  Morgan,  the  grim 
sentinel  sitting  dark  and  lonely  at  the  harbor's  mouth  and  showing  a 
row  of  teeth  that  might  be  a  warning.  The  fort  was  now  put  in 
thorough  repair  and  readiness  by  Colonel  Hardee,  of  the  regular 
army  of  the  Confederate  States. 

I  was  following  Styles  down  from  the  upper  deck,  when  we  heard 
high  voices  from  the  end  of  the  boat,  and  recognized  one  exclaiming: 

' '  Curse  you !  I'll  cut  your  ear  off! " 

Round  the  open  bar  we  found  an  excited  crowd,  in  the  center  of 
which  was  our  worldly-minded  middie  of  river-boat  memory  and 
" Spring  Chicken,"  his  colleague;  both  talking  very  loud,  and  the 
latter  exhibiting  a  bowie-knife  half  as  long  as  himself.  By  considera- 
ble talk  and  more  elbowing,  we  made  our  way  to  the  boys;  and, 
with  the  aid  of  a  friendly  stoker,  got  them  both  safely  in  my  state- 
room. 

Once  there,  the  man  of  the  world — who,  unlike  the  needy  knife- 


Four   Years  in  Rebel  Capitals,  57 

grinder,  had  a  story — told  it.  After  getting  on  the  boat,  Spring 
Chicken  had  been  taking  mint  with  sugar  and  something ;  and  he 
took  it  once  too  often.  Seeing  this,  the  worldling  tried  to  get  him 
forward  to  his  state-room ;  but,  as  we  passed  the  fort,  a  jolly  passen- 
ger, who  had  also  taken  mint,  waved  his  hat  at  the  fortification  and 
cried  out : 

"  Hurrah  for  Muggins!  " 

Spring  Chicken  stopped,  balanced  himself  on  his  heels  and  an- 
nounced with  much  dignity 

"Sir,  I  am  Muggins!  " 

"  Didn't  know  you,  Muggins,"  responded  the  shouter,  who  fortu- 
nately had  not  taken  fighting  whisky.  "Beg  pardon,  Muggins !  Hur- 
rah for  Peacock !  Yah — a-h  !  " 

"See  here,  my  good  fellow,  I'm  Peacock!"  repeated  Spring 
Chicken. 

"The  thunder  you  are !    You  can't  be  two  people !" 

"  Sir!"  responded  Spring  Chicken,  with  even  greater  dignity,  "  I 
do  not — hie — desire  to  argue  with  you.  I  am  Peacock !" 

The  man  laughed.     "The  Peacock  I  mean  is  a  northern  man " 

"I'm  a  northern  man,"  yelled  the  now  irate  Spring  Chicken. 
"  Curse  you,  sir !  what  are  my  principles  to  you  ?  I'll  cut  your  ear 
off!"  And  it  was  this  peaceful  proposition  that  attracted  our  atten- 
tion, in  time  to  prevent  any  trouble  with  the  ugly  knife  he  drew  from 
his  back. 

Spring  Chicken  had  remained  passive  during  the  recital  of  the 
more  sober  worldling.  Sundry  muttered  oaths  had  sufficed  him  until 
it  was  over,  when  he  made  the  lucid  explanation : 

"  Reas'l  didl't — hie — dam  decoy — bet  ol  red — ev'ry  cent — hid" 

This  the  worldling  translated  and  the  murder  was  out.  When  we 
lost  sight  of  the  boys  on  the  Southern  Republic,  they  had  ordered 
wine.  At  dinner  they  had  more ;  and — glowing  therewith,  as  they 
sat  over  their  cigars  on  the  gallery — did  not  "stop  their  ears,"  but, 
on  the  contrary,  "listed  to  the  voice  of  the  charmer."  When  the 
stool  pigeon  once  more  stood  in  the  doorway,  rattling  his  half  dollars, 
they  followed  him  into  the  den  of  the  tiger. 

"  Faro"  went  against  them  ;  "  odd-and-even  "  was  worse ;  rouge-et- 
neir  worst  of  all ;  and  at  night  they  were  sober  and  dead  broke,  an 
unpleasant  but  not  infrequent  phase  of  boat  life. 


58  Four   Years  in  Rebel  Capitals. 

"  Didl't  have  aly  wash  to  spout,"  remarked  Spring  Chicken,  with 
his  head  under  his  arm. 

''Yes — we  owed  our  wine  bill,"  continued  the  middie,  whose  world- 
liness  decreased  as  he  got  sober,  "and  our  trunk  was  in  pawn  to  the 
nigger  we  owed  a  quarter  for  taking  care  of  it.  So  as  soon  as  the 
boat  touched,  I  ran  for'ard  and  jumped  off,  while  he  waited  to  keep 
the  things  in  sight  till  I  came  back." 

"So  he  was  in  pawn,  too,  egad !"  said  the  colonel. 

"Thasso,  ol'  cock!"  hiccoughed  Spring  Chicken. 

"And  when  I  got  the  money  and  we  went  up  town,  we  met  the 
cussed  decoy  again,  and  we  were  fools  enough  to  go  again " 

"Williz  molley — damniz — hie — eyes!"  interpolated  the  other. 

" And  we  got  broke  again — and  this  fellow  that  hollowed 

Muggins  looked  like  the  decoy,  but  he  wasn't.  That's  the  whole 
truth,  Mr.  Styles." 

"  Mussput — hie — fi  dollus  on-jack?"  remarked  Spring  Chicken. 
"  See  yer,  Styse — o'boy,  damfattolman — Con'l  is !"  and  he  curled  from 
the  lounge  to  the  floor  and  slept  peacefully. 

"My  young  friend,"  remarked  Styles  gravely  to  the  middie,  as  we 
tucked  the  insensible  Spring  Chicken  into  his  berth — "If  you  want 
to  gamble,  you'll  do  it — so  I  don't  advise  you.  But  these  amphibious 
beasts  are  dangerous;  so  in  future  play  with  gentlemen  and  let  them 
alone." 

"And,  my  boy,"  said  the  colonel,  enunciating  his  moral  lesson — 
"gambling  is  bad  enough,  egad!  but  any  man  is  lost — yes,  sir,  lost! 
— who  will  drink  mint — after  dinner  !  " 

With  which  great  moral  axioms  we  retired  and  slept  until  our 
steamer  reached  the  "Queen  City  of  the  South." 


Four  Years  in  Rebel  Capitals.  59 


CHAPTER   VIII. 

NEW   ORLEANS,   THE   CRESCENT   CITY. 

At  a  first  glimpse,  New  Orleans  of  those  days  was  anything  but  a 
picturesque  city.  Built  upon  marshy  flats,  below  the  level  of  the 
river  and  protected  from  inundation  by  the  Levee,  her  antique  and 
weathered  houses  seemed  to  cower  and  cluster  together  as  though  in 
fear. 

But  for  a  long  time,  "  The  Crescent  City  "  had  been  at  the  head  of 
commercial  importance — and  the  desideratum  of  direct  trade  had 
been  more  nearly  filled  by  her  enterprising  merchants  than  all  others 
in  the  South.  The  very  great  majority  of  the  wealthy  population  was 
either  Creole,  or  French ;  and  their  connection  with  European  houses 
may  account  in  some  measure  for  that  fact.  The  coasting  trade  at 
the  war  was  heavy  all  along  the  Gulf  shore  ;  the  trade  with  the 
islands  a  source  of  large  revenue,  and  there  were  lines  and  frequent 
private  enterprises  across  the  ocean. 

For  many  reasons,  it  was  then  believed  New  Orleans  could  never 
become  a  great  port.  Foremost,  the  conformation  of  the  Delta,  at 
the  mouth  of  the  river,  prevented  vessels  drawing  over  fifteen  feet — 
at  most  favorable  tides — from  crossing  either  of  the  three  bars ;  and 
the  most  practical  and  scientific  engineers,  both  of  civil  life  and  the 
army,  had  long  tried  in  vain  to  remedy  the  defect  for  longer  than  a 
few  weeks.  Numerous  causes  have  been  assigned  for  the  rapid  ref- 
ormation of  these  bars;  the  chemical  action  of  the  salt  upon  the 
vegetable  matter  in  the  river  water  ;  the  rapid  deposit  of  alluvium  as 
the  current  slackens;  and  a  churning  effect  produced  by  the  meeting 
of  the  channel  with  the  waves  of  the  Gulf.  They  could  not  be  suc- 
cessfully removed,  however,  and  were  a  great  drawback  to  the  trade 
of  the  city;  which  its  location  at  the  mouth  of  the  great  water  avenue 
of  the  whole  West,  makes  more  advantageous  than  any  other  point  in 
the  South. 

The  river  business  in  cotton,  sugar  and  syrup  was,  at  this  time, 


60  Four  Years  in  Rebel  Capitals. 

immense ;  and  the  agents  of  the  planters — factor  is  the  generic  term 
— made  large  fortunes  in  buying  and  selling  at  a  merely  nominal  rate 
of  percentage.  The  southern  planter  of  ante-bellum  days  was  a  man 
of  ease  and  luxury,  careless  of  business  and  free"  to  excess  with 
money;  and  relations  between  him  and  his  agent  were  entirely  unique. 

He  had  the  same  factor  for  years,  drawing  when  he  pleased  for 
any  amount,  keeping  open  books.  When  his  crop  came  in,  it  was 
shipped  to  the  factor,  the  money  retained — subject  to  draft — or  in- 
vested. But  it  was  by  no  means  rare,  when  reckoning  day  came,  for 
the  advance  drafts  to  have  left  the  planter  in  debt  his  whole  crop  to 
the  factor.  In  that  case,  it  used  to  cost  him  a  trip  to  Europe,  or 
a  summer  at  Saratoga  only ;  and  he  stayed  on  his  plantation  and  did 
not  cry  over  the  spilt  milk,  however  loudly  his  ladies  may  have 
wailed  for  the  missing  creme-de-la-creme  of  Virginia  springs. 

The  morning  after  arrival  we  at  last  saw  "  the  house;"  which,  far 
from  being  an  imposing  edifice,  was  a  dingy,  small  office,  just  off  the 
J  Levee,  with  the  dingier  sign  of  "Long,  Staple  &  Middling"  over 
the  door.  There  were  a  few  stalwart  negroes  basking  in  the  sun 
about  the  entrance,  sleeping  comfortably  in  the  white  glare,  or  show- 
ing glancing  ivories,  in  broad  grins — each  one  keeping  his  shining 
cotton  hook  in  full  view,  like  a  badge  of  office.  Within  was  a  per- 
fect steam  of  business,  and  Staple  pere  was  studying  a  huge  ledger 
through  a  pair  of  heavy  gold  spectacles — popping  orders  like  fire- 
crackers, at  half  a  dozen  attentive  clerks.  Long,  the  senior  partner, 
was  in  Virginia — and  Middling,  the  junior,  was  hardly  more  than  an 
expert  foreman  of  the  establishment. 

"  Happy,  indeed,  to  meet  you,  sir! — 93  of  Red  River  lot,  Mr. 
Edds — Heard  of  you  frequently — Terribly  busy  times  these,  sir,  part- 
ner away — 13,094  middlins,  for  diamond  B  at  i6^3,  Adams . 

We  dine  at  seven,  you  remember,  Styles — Don't  be  in  a  hurry,  sir !  — 
1,642  A.  B.,  page  684,  Carter Good  day— See  you  at  seven." 

And  it  was  only  over  the  perfect  claret,  at  the  emphasized  hour, 
that  we  discovered  Mr.  Staple  to  be  a  man  of  fine  mind  and  exten- 
sive culture,  a  hearty  sympathizer  in  the  rebellion — into  which  he 
would  have  thrown  his  last  dollar — and  one  of  the  most  successful 
men  on  the  Levee.  Long,  his  senior  partner,  was  a  western  man  of 
hard,  keen  business  sense,  who  had  come  to  New  Orleans  fifty  years 
before,  a  barefooted  deck-hand  on  an  Ohio  schooner.  By  shrewd- 


Four  Years  in  Rebel  Capitals.  61 

ness,  dogged  industry  and  some  little  luck,  he  made  "Long's"  the 
best  known  and  richest  house  in  the  South-west,  until  in  the  crash 
of  '37  it  threatened  to  topple  down  forever.  Then  Mr.  Staple  came 
forward  with  his*  great  credit  and  large  amount  of  spare  capital,  saved 
the  house  and  went  into  it  himself;  while  Middling,  the  former  clerk 
of  all  work,  was  promoted,  for  fidelity  in  the  trying  times,  to  a  small 
partnership. 

Like  all  the  heavy  cotton  men  of  the  South,  Mr.  Staple  believed     s 
firmly  that  cotton  was  king,  and  that  the  first  steamer  into  a  south- 
ern port  would  bring  a  French  and  British  minister. 

"  It's  against  our  interest  for  the  present  to  do  so,"  he  said,  con- 
fidently; "but  my  partner  and  I  have  advised  all  our  planters  to  hold 
their  cotton  instead  of  shipping  it,  that  the  market  may  not  be  X 
glutted  when  the  foreign  ships  come  in.  And,  yet,  sir,  it's  coming 
down  now  faster  than  ever.  Everybody  prefers,  in  the  disorganized 
state  of  things,  to  have  ready  money  for  cotton,  that  in  three  months' 
time  must  be  worth  from  twenty  to  thirty  cents ! " 

"  Hard  to  believe,  sir,  isn't  it  ?  Yet  our  planters,  looking  at  things 
from  their  own  contracted  standpoint,  think  the  English  and  French 
cabinets  will  defer  recognition  of  our  Government.  As  for  'the 
house,'  sir,  it  will  put  all  it  possesses  into  the  belief  that  they  can 
not  prove  so  blind !  " 

Like  most  of  the  wealthy  men  in  New  Orleans,  Mr.  Staple  had  a 
charmingly  located  villa  a  mile  from  the  lake  and  drove  out  every 
evening,  after  business  hours,  to  pass  the  night. 

"Not  that  I  fear  the  fever,"  he  explained.  "What  strangers  re- 
gard as  such  certain  death  is  to  us  scarce  more  than  the  agues  of  a 
North  Carolina  flat.  '  Yellow  Jack '  is  a  terrible  scourge,  indeed,  to 
the  lower  classes,  and  to  those  not  acclimatized.  The  heavy  deposits 
of  vegetable  drift  from  the  inundations  leave  the  whole  country  for 
miles  coated  four  or  five  inches  deep  in  creamy  loam.  This  decom- 
poses most  rapidly  upon  the  approach  of  hot  weather,  and  the  action 
of  the  dews,  when  they  begin  to  fall  upon  it,  causes  the  miasmata  to 
rise  in  dense  and  poisonous  mists.  Now  these,  of  course,  are  as  bad 
in  country — except  in  very  elevated  localities — as  in  town ;  but  they 
are  only  dangerous  in  crowded  sections,  or  to  the  enervated  constitu- 
tions that  could  as  ill  resist  any  other  disease." 

"You  astonish  me,  indeed,"  I  answered.     "For  I  have  always 


62  Four  Years  in  Rebel  Capitals. 

classed  yellow  fever  and  cholera  as  twin  destroyers.     They  must  be, 
from  such  seasons  as  you  have  every  few  years." 

"  So  all  strangers  think.  But  to  the  resident,  who  from  choice,  or 
business  engagements,  has  passed  one  summer  in  the  city,  'Jack' 
loses  his  terrors.  The  symptoms  are  unmistakable.  Slight  nausea 
and  pain  in  the  back,  headache  and  a  soup$on  of  chill.  The  -\vork- 
ingman  feels  these.  He  can  not  spare  the  time  or  the  doctor's  bill, 
perhaps.  He  poohs  the  matter — it  will  pass  off — and  goes  to  work. 
The  delay  and  the  sun  set  the  disease ;  and  he  is  brought  home  at 
night — or  staggers  to  the  nearest  hospital — to  die  of  the  black  vomit 
in  thirty-six  hours.  Hence,  the  great  mortality. 

"  Now,  I  feel  these  pains,  I  at  once  recognize  the  fever,  go  right 
home,  bathe  feet  and  back  in  hot  water,  take  a  strong  aperient,  put 
mustard  on  my  stomach  and  pile  on  the  blankets.  In  an  hour  I  am 
bathed  in  sweat  till  maybe  it  drips  through  the  mattress.  I  put  on 
another  blanket,  take  a  hot  draught  with  an  opiate,  and  go  to  sleep. 
It  is  not  a  pleasant  thing,  with  the  thermometer  at  ninety  degrees  in 
the  shade;  but  when  I  wake  in  the  morning,  I  have  saved  an  attack 
of  fever." 

This  regimen  was  constantly  repeated  to  me.  In  the  district 
crowded  with  the  poorer  classes,  who  are  dependent  on  their  daily 
labor  for  their  daily  bread,  the  fever  stalks  gaunt  and  noisome,  mark- 
ing his  victims  aad  seldom  in  vain.  All  day  long,  and  far  into  the 
night  in  bad  seasons,  the  low,  dull  rumble  of  the  dead-cart  echoed 
through  the  narrow  streets ;  and  at  the  door  of  every  squalid  house 
/  was  the  plain  pine  box  that  held  what  was  left  of  some  one  of  its  loved 
inmates.  Yet  through  this  carnival  of  death,  steadily  and  fearlessly, 
the  better  class  of  workers  walk ;  not  dreading  the  contagion  and  se- 
cure in  their  harness  of  precaution. 

To  sleep  in  the  infected  atmosphere  in  sickly  quarters  was  thought 
more  dangerous ;  but  any  business  man  considered  himself  safe,  if  he 
only  breathed  the  poisonous  air  in  the  daytime.  The  resident  phy- 
sicians, in  their  recent  treatment,  feel  the  disease  quite  in  their  hands, 
when  no  other  foe  than  the  fever  is  to  be  combated.  Any  preceding 
excess  of  diet,  drink  or  excitement  is  apt  to  aggravate  it;  but  in  ordi- 
nary cases,  where  proper  remedies  are  taken  in  season,  nine  out  of 
ten  patients  recover. 

Otherwise,  this  ratio  is  just  reversed ;  and  in  the  working  classes — 


Four  Years  in  Rebel  Capitals.  63 

especially  strangers — to  take  the  fever,  in  bad  years,  is  to  die.  The 
utmost  efforts  of  science,  the  most  potent  drugs — even  the  beautiful 
and  selfless  devotion  of  the  "Howard  Association"  and  its  like — 
availed  nothing  in  the  wrestle  with  the  grim  destroyer,  when  he  had 
once  fairly  clutched  his  hold.  And  in  the  crowded  quarters,  where 
the  air  was  poison  without  the  malaria,  his  footing  was  too  sure  for 
mortal  to  prevail  against  him. 

New  Orleans  was,  at  this  time,  divided  into  two  distinct  towns  in 
one  corporation — the  French  and  American.  In  the  one,  the  French 
language  was  spoken  altogether  for  social  and  business  purposes,  and 
even  in  the  courts.  The  theaters  were  French,  the  cafes  innocent  of 
English,  and,  as  Hood  says,  the  "very  children  speak  it."  Many 
persons  grow  up  in  this  quarter — or  did  in  years  back — who  never,  to 
their  old  age,  crossed  to  the  American  town  or  spoke  one  word  of 
English.  In  the  society  of  the  old  town,  one  found  a  miniature — 
exact  to  the  photograph — of  Paris.  It  was  jealously  exclusive,  and 
even  the  most  petted  beaux  of  the  American  quarter  deemed  it 
privilege  to  enter  it.  A  stranger  must  come  with  letters  of  the  most 
wgent  kind  before  he  could  cross  its  threshold.  All  the  etiquette 
and  form  of  the  ancien  regime  obtained  here — the  furniture,  the  dress, 
the  cookery,  the  dances  were  all  French. 

In  the  American  town  the  likeness  to  Mobile  was  very  marked,  in 
the  manners  and  style  of  the  people.  The  young  men  of  the  French 
quarter  had  sought  this  society  more  of  late  years,  finding  in  it  a 
freedom  from  restraint,  for  which  their  associations  with  other 
Americans  in  business  gave  them  a  taste.  The  character  of  the 
society  was  gay  and  easy — and  it  was  not  hedged  in  so  carefully  as 
that  of  the  old  town.  Strangers  were  cordially — if  not  very  care- 
fully— welcomed  into  it ;  and  the  barriers  of  reserve,  that  once  pro- 
tected it,  were  rapidly  breaking  down  before,  the  inroads  of  progress 
and  petroleum. 

The  great  hotels— the  "St.  Charles,"  "St.  Louis"  and  others — 
were  constantly  filled  with  the  families  of  planters  from  all  points  of 
the  river  and  its  branches,  and  with  travelers  from  the  Atlantic 
border  as  well.  Many  of  these  were  people  of  cultivation  and  re- 
finement; but  many,  alas!  the  roughest  of  diamonds  with  a  western 
freedom  of  expression  and  solidity  of  outline,  that  is  national  but 
hot  agreeable.  In  the  season  these  people  overflowed  the  hotels, 


64  Four  Years  in  Rebel  Capitals, 

where  they  had  constant  hops  with,  occasionally,  splendid  balls  and 
even  masques.  Many  of  them  were  "objects  of  interest"  to  the 
young  men  about  town,  by  reason  of  papa's  business,  or  Mademoi- 
selle's proper  bank  account.  So  the  hotels — though  not  frequented 
by  the  ladies  of  the  city  at  all — became,  each  year,  more  and  more 
thronged  by  the  young  men ;  and  consequently,  each  year,  the  out- 
siders gained  a  very  gradual,  but  more  secure,  footing  near  the  home 
society  and  even  began  to  force  their  way  into  it. 

It  must  be  confessed  that  some  damsels  from  Red  River  wore 
diamonds  at  breakfast;  and  that  young  ladies  from  Ohio  would  drive 
tandem  to  the  lake !  And  then  their  laughs  and  jokes  at  a  soiree 
would  give  a  dowager  from  Frenchtown  an  apoplexy ! 

Que  voulcz  vous  ?     Pork  is  mighty !  and  cotton  was  king ! 

There  was  muck  difference  of  opinion  as  to  the  morals  of  the 
Crescent  City.  For  my  own  part,  I  do  not  think  the  men  were  more 
dissipated  than  elsewhere,  though  infinitely  more  wedded  to  enjoy- 
ment and  fun  in  every  form.  There  was  the  French  idea  prevalent 
that  gambling  was  no  harm ;  and  it  was  indulged  to  a  degree  cer- 
tainly hurtful  to  many  and  ruinous  to  some.  From  the  climate  and 
the  great  prevalence  of  light  wines,  there  was  less  drunkenness  than 
in  most  southern  towns ;  and  if  other  vices  prevailed  to  any  great 
extent — they  were  either  gracefully  hidden,  or  so  sanctioned  by  cus- 
tom as  to  cause  no  remark,  except  by  straight-laced  strangers. 

Oh !  the  delicious  memories  of  the  city  of  old  !  The  charming 
cordiality  to  be  found  in  no  colder  latitude,  the  cosy  breakfasts  that 
prefaced  days  of  real  enjoyment — the  midnight  revels  of  the  bal 
masque!  And  then  the  carnival!  —  those  wild  weeks  when  the 
Lord  of  Misrule  wields  his  motley  scepter — leading  from  one  reckless 
frolic  to  another  till  Mardi  Gras  culminates  in  a  giddy  whirl  of 
delirious  fun  on  which,  at  midnight,  Lent  drops  a  somber  veil ! 
,  Sad  changes  the  war  has  wrought  since  then ! 

The  merry  "  Krewe  of  Comus"  has  been  for  a  time  replaced  by 
the  conquering  troops  of  the  Union ;  the  salons  where  only  the  best 
and  brightest  had  collected  have  been  sullied  by  a  conquering  soldiery; 
and  their  leader  has  waged  a  vulgar  warfare  on  the  noble  woman- 
hood his  currish  spirit  could  not  gaze  upon  without  a  fruitless  effort 
to  degrade. 

Of  the  resident  ladies,  I  can  only  say  that  to  hear  of  a  fast  one — 
in  ordinary  acceptation  of  that  term — was,  indeed,  rare. 


Four  Years  in  Rebel  Capitals.  65 

The  young  married  woman  monopolized  more  of  the  society  and 
its  beaux  than  would  be  very  agreeable  to  New  York  belles;  but,  if 
they  borrowed  this  custom  from  their  French  neighbors,  I  have  not 
heard  that  they  also  took  the  license  of  the  Italian. 

Public  and  open  improprieties  were  at  once  frowned  down,  and 
people  of  all  grades  and  classes  seemed  to  make  their  chief  study 
good  taste.  This  is  another  French  graft,  on  a  stem  naturally  sus- 
ceptible, of  which  the  consequences  can  be  seen  from  the  hair  ribbon 
of  the  bonne  to  the  decoration  of  the  Cathedral. 

The  women  of  New  Orleans,  as  a  rule,  dress  with  more  taste — 
more  perfect  adaptation  of  form  and  color  to  figure  and  complexion — 
than  any  in  America.  On  a  dress  night  at  the  opera,  at  church,  or 
at  a  ball,  the  toillettes  are  a  perfect  study  in  their  exquisite  fitness — 
their  admirable  blending  of  simplicity  and  elegance.  Nor  is  this 
confined  to  the  higher  and  more  wealthy  classes.  The  women  of 
lower  conditions  are  admirably  imitative ;  and  on  Sunday  afternoons, 
where  they  crowd  to  hear  the  public  bands  with  husbands  and  chil- 
dren, all  in  their  best,  it  is  the  rarest  thing  to  see  a  badly-trimmed 
bonnet  or  an  ill-chosen  costume.  The  men,  in  those  days,  dressed 
altogether  in  the  French  fashion;  and  were,  consequently,  the  worst 
dressed  in  the  world. 

The  most  independent  and  obtrusively  happy  people  one  noticed 
in  New  Orleans  were  the  negroes.  They  have  a  sleek,  shiny  black- 
ness here,  unknown  to  higher  latitudes ;  and  from  its  midst  the  great  "/ 
white  eyeballs  and  large,  regular  teeth  flash  with  a  singular  brilliance. 
Sunday  is  their  day  peculiarly — and  on  the  warm  afternoons,  they 
bask  up  and  down  the  thoroughfares  in  the  gaudiest  of  orange  and 
scarlet  bandannas.  But  their  day  is  fast  passing  away ;  and  in  place 
of  the  simple,  happy  creatures  of  a  few  years  gone,  we  find  the  dis- 
contented and  besotted  idler — squalid  and  dirty. 

The  cant  of  to-day — that  the  race  problem,  if  left  alone,  will  settle 
itself — may  have  some  possible  proof  in  the  distant  future ;  but  the 
few  who  are  ignorant  enough  to-day  to  believe  the  "  negro  question  "     ^ 
already  settled  may  find  that  they  are  yet  but  on  the  threshold  of 
the  "  irrepressible_conflict "  between  nature  and  necessity. 

To  the  natural  impressibility  of  the  southron,  the  Louisianian  adds 
the  enthusiasm  of  the  Frenchman.     At  the  first  call  of  the  governor 
for  troops,  there  had  been  readiest  response ;  and  here,  as  in  Ala- 
5 


66  Four   Years  in  Rebel  Capitals. 

bama,  the  very  first  young  men  of  the  state  left  office  and  counting- 
room  and  college  to  take  up  the  musket.  Two  regiments  of  regulars, 
in  the  state  service,  were  raised  to  man  the  forts — "Jackson"  and 
' '  St.  Philip  " — that  guarded  the  passes  below  the  city.  These  were 
composed  of  the  stevedores  and  workingmen  generally,  and  were 
officered  by  such  young  men  as  the  governor  and  council  deemed  best 
fitted.  The  Levee  had  been  scoured  and  a  battalion  of  "Tigers'* 
formed  from  the  very  lowest  of  the  thugs  and  plugs  that  infested  it, 
for  Major  Bob  Wheat,  the  well-known  filibuster. 

Poor  Wheat!  His  roving  spirit  still  and  his  jocund  voice  now 
mute,  he  sleeps  soundly  under  the  sighing  trees  of  Hollywood — that 
populous  "city  of  the  silent"  at  Richmond.  It  was  his  corps  of 
which  such  wild  and  ridiculous  stories  of  bowie-knife  prowess  were 
told  at  the  Bull  Run  fight.  They,  together  with  the  "Crescent 
Rifles,"  "  Chasseurs-a-pied  "  and  "  Zouaves,"  were  now  at  Pensacola. 

The  "Rifles"  was  a  crack  corps,  composed  of  some  of  the  best 
young  men  in  New  Orleans;  and  the  whole  corps  of  "Chasseurs" 
was  of  the  same  material.  They  did  yeomen's  service  in  the  four 
years,  and  the  last  one  saw  very  few  left  of  what  had  long  since 
ceased  to  be  a  separate  organization.  But  of  all  the  gallant  blood 
that  was  shed  at  the  call  of  the  state,  none  was  so  widely  known  as 
the  "Washington  Artillery."  The  best  men  of  Louisiana  had  long 
upheld  and  officered  this  battalion  as  a  holiday  pageant;  and,  when 
their  merry  meetings  were  so  suddenly  changed  to  stern  alarums,  to 
their  honor  be  it  said,  not  one  was  laggard. 

In  the  reddest  flashings  of  the  fight,  on  the  dreariest  march 
through  heaviest  snows,  or  in  the  cozy  camp  under  the  summer 
pines,  the  guidon  of  the  "  W.  A."  was  a  welcome  sight  to  the  soldier 
of  the  South — always  indicative  of  cheer  and  of  duty  willingly  and 
thoroughly  done. 

It  was  very  unwillingly  that  I  left  New  Orleans  on  a  transport, 
with  a  battalion  of  Chasseurs  for  Pensacola.  Styles  was  to  stay 
behind  for  the  present,  and  then  go  on  some  general's  staff;  so  half 
the  amusement  of  my  travel  was  gone.  "The  colonel"  was  desole. 

" Such  a  hotel  as  the  St.  Charles !  "  he  exclaimed,  with  tears  in  his 
voice — "such  soups.  Ah!  my  boy,  after  the  war  I'll  come  here  to 
live — yes,  sir,  to  live !  It's  the  only  place  to  get  a  dinner.  Egad, 
;sir,  out  of  New  Orleans  nobody  cooks  !  " 


Four  Years  in  Rebel  Capitals.  67 

I  suggested  comfort  in  the  idea  of  red  snapper  at  Pensacola. 

"  Red  fish  is  good  in  itself.  Egad,  I  think  it  is  good,"  replied  the 
colonel.  "  But  eaten  in  camp,  with  a  knife,  sir — egad,  with  a 
knife — off  a  tin  plate !  Pah!  You've  never  lived  in  camp."  And 
in  a  hollow,  oracular  whisper,  he  added :  ' '  Wait ! " 

And  they  were  real  models,  the  New  Orleans  hotels  of  those  days, 
and  the  colonel's  commendations  were  but  deserved.  In  cuisine, 
service  and  wines,  they  far  surpassed  any  on  this  continent ;  and  for 
variety  of  patrons  they  were  unequaled  anywhere. 

Two  distinct  sets  inhabited  the  larger  ones,  as  antagonistic  as  oil 
and  water.  The  habitues,  easy,  critical  to  a  degree,  and  particular  to 
a  year  about  then:  wines,  lived  on  comfortably  and  evenly,  enjoying 
the  very  best  of  the  luxurious  city,  and  never  having  a  cause  for 
complaint.  The  up-river  people  flocked  in  at  certain  seasons  by  the 
hundred.  They  crowded  the  lobbies,  filled  the  spare  bed-rooms, 
and  eat  what  was  put  before  them,  with  but  little  knowledge  save  that 
it  was  French.  These  were  the  business  men,  who  came  down  for  a 
new  engagement  with  a  factor,  or  to  rest  after  the  summer  on  the 
plantation.  One-half  of  them  were  terribly  busy;  the  other  half 
having  nothing  to  do  after  the  first  day — they  always  stay  a  week — 
and  assuming  an  air  of  high  criticism  that  was  as  funny  to  the  knowing 
ones  as  expensive  to  them. 

At  our  hotel,  one  evening,  as  favored  guests,  we  found  ourselves 
on  an  exploring  tour  with  mine  host.  It  ended  in  the  wine-room. 

The  mysteries  of  that  vaulted  chamber  were  seldom  opened  to  the 
outer  world ;  and  passing  the  profanum  vulgus  in  its  first  bins,  we 
listened  with  eager  ears  and  watering  mouths  to  recital  of  the  pedi- 
gree and  history  of  the  dwellers  within. 

Long  rows  of  graceful  necks,  golden  crowned  and  tall,  peered 
over  dust  and  cobwebs  of  near  a  generation ;  bottles  aldermanic  and 
plethoric  seemed  bursting  with  the  hoarded  fatness  of  the  vine; 
clear,  white  glass  burned  a  glowing  ruby  with  the  Burgundy;  and 
lean,  jaundiced  bottles — carefully  bedded  like  rows  of  invalids — told 
of  rare  and  priceless  Hocks. 

From  arch  to  arch  our  garrulous  cicerone  leads  us,  with  a  heightened 
relish  as  we  get  deeper  among  his  treasures  and  further  away  from  the 
daylight. 

"There!"   he   exclaims  at   last  with  a  great  gulp  of  triumph. 


68  Four  Years  in  Rebel  Capitals. 

"There!  that's  Sherry,  the  king  of  wines!  Ninety  years  ago,  the 
Conde  Pesara  sent  that  wine  in  his  own  ships.  Ninety  years  ago — 
and  for  twenty  it  has  lain  in  my  cellar,  never  touched  but  by  my  own 
hand " — and  he  holds  up  the  candle  to  the  shelf,  inch  deep  in  dust, 
while  the  light  seems  to  dart  into  the  very  heart  of  the  amber  fluid, 
and  sparkle  and  laugh  back  again  from  the  fantastic  drapery  the 
spiders  had  festooned  around  the  bottles.  "Yes,  all  the  Pesaras  are 
dead  years  gone;  and  only  this  blood  of  the  vine  is  left  of  them." 

"But  you  don't  sell  that  wine!"  gasps  the  colonel.  "Egad! 
you  don't  sell  it  to  those — people — up  stairs !  " 

"  I  did  once" — and  mine  host  sighs.  "  A  great  cotton  man  came 
down.  He  was  a  king  on  the  river — he  wanted  the  best !  Money 
was  nothing  to  him,  so  I  whispered  of  this,  and  said  twenty  dollars 
the  bottle!  And,  Colonel,  he  didn't like  it!" 

"  Merciful  heaven  !  "  the  colonel  waxes  wroth. 

"  So  Francois  there  sent  him  a  bottle  of  that  Xeres  in  the  outer  bin 
yonder — we  sell  it  to  you  for  two  dollars  the  bottle — and  he  said  that 
was  wine ! " 

But  of  the  other  family — who  live  in  an  American  hurry  and  eat 
by  steam — was  the  goblin  diner  of  whom  a  friend  told  me  in  accents 
of  awe.  One  day,  at  the  St.  Charles,  a  resident  stopped  him  on  the 
way  to  their  accustomed  table  : 

"Have  you  seen  these  people  eat?"  he  asked.  "No?  Then 
we'll  stop  and  look.  This  table  is  reserved  for  the  up-river  men  who 
have  little  time  in  the  city  and  make  the  most  of  it.  While  they 
swallow  soup,  a  nimble  waiter  piles  the  nearest  dishes  around  them, 
without  regard  to  order  or  quality.  They  eat  fish,  roast  and  fried,  on 
the  same  plate,  swallowing  six  inches  of  knife  blade  at  every  bolt. 
Then  they  draw  the  nearest  pie  to  them,  cut  a  great  segment  in  it, 
make  three  huge  arcs  therein  with  as  many  snaps  of  their  teeth; 
seize  a  handful  of  nuts  and  raisins  and  rush  away,  with  jaws  still 
working  like  a  flouring-mill.  Ten  minutes  is  their  limit  for  din- 
ner." My  friend  only  smiled.  The  other  adding: 

"  You  doubt  it  ?  Here  comes  a  fine  specimen ;  hot,  healthy  and 
evidently  busy.  See,  he  looks  at  his  watch !  I'll  bet  you  a  bottle  of 
St.  Peray  he  'does'  his  dinner  within  the  ten." 

"  Done" — and  they  sat  opposite  him,  watch  in  hand. 

And  that  wonderful  Hoosier  dined  in  seven  minutes ! 


Four  Years  in  Rebel  Capitals.  69 


CHAPTER  IX. 

A   CHANGE   OF   BASE. 

Whatever  activity  and  energetic  preparation  there  may  have  been 
elsewhere,  Pensacola  was  the  firsX  organized  camp  in  the  South. 
General  Bragg  and  his  adjutant-general  were  both  old  officers,  and 
in  the  face  of  the  enemy  the  utmost  rigor  of  discipline  prevailed. 
There  had  been  no  active  operations  on  this  line,  yet;  but  the  Ala- 
bama and  Louisiana  troops  collected — to  the  number  of  about  nine 
thousand — had  already  become  soldiers,  in  all  the  details  of  camp 
life ;  and  went  through  it  in  as  cheerful  a  spirit  as  if  they  had  been 
born  there. 

In  popular  view,  both  Bragg  and  Beauregard  were  on  probation  as 
yet;  and  it  was  thought  that  upon  the  management  of  their  respective 
operations  depended  their  status  in  the  regular  army.  All  was  activ- 
ity, drill  and  practice  in  this  camp ;  and  if  the  army  of  Pensacola  was 
not  a  perfectly-disciplined  one,  the  fault  certainly  was  not  with  its 
general. 

The  day  we  reached  camp  the  President  and  Secretary  of  the 
Navy  came  down  from  Montgomery  on  a  special  train  for  an  inspec- 
tion. They  were  accompanied  only  by  one  or  two  officers,  and  had 
a  long  and  earnest  conference  with  General  Bragg  at  his  headquar- 
ters. After  that  there  was  a  review  of  the  army ;  and  the  then  novel 
sight  was  made  peculiarly  effective  by  surroundings. 

On  the  level,  white  beach,  glistening  in  the  afternoon  sun.  were 
drawn  up  the  best  volunteer  organizations  of  the  South — line  upon 
line,  as  far  as  eye  could  reach — their  bright  uniforms,  glancing  mus- 
kets and  waving  banners  giving  color  to  the  view.  Far  in  the  rear 
the  fringed  woods  made  dim  background;  while  between,  regular 
rows  of  white  tents — laid  out  in  regiments  and  company  streets — 
dotted  the  plain. 

Out  in  the  foreground  stretched  the  blue  waters  of  Pensacola  har- 
bor— the  sun  lighting  up  the  occasional  foam-crests  into  evanescent 
diamonds — the  grim  fortress  frowning  darkly  on  the  rebellious  dis- 


70  Four  Years  in  Rebel  Capitals. 

play,  while  a  full  band  on  the  parapet  played  the  "Star  Spangled 
Banner."  Over  to  the  left,  half  hidden  under  the  rolling  sand  hills, 
stood  Pensacola,  with  the  navy  yard  and  hospitals ;  and  yellow  little 
Fort  McRea,  saucy  and  rebellious,  balanced  it  on  the  extreme  right. 

As  the  President,  with  the  general  and  his  staff,  galloped  down 
the  line,  the  band  of  each  regiment  struck  up;  and  the  wildest  huz- 
zas— not  even  restrained  by  the  presence  of  their  ' '  incarnate  disci- 
pline  " — told  how  firm  a  hold  Mr.  Davis  had  taken  upon  the  hearts 
of  the  army. 

By  the  time  the  review  was  over  twilight  had  fallen;  and  a  thou- 
sand camp-fires  sprang  up  among  the  tents,  with  flickering,  uncertain 
light.  In  it  sat  groups  preparing  their,  suppers  and  discussing  what 
the  visit  and  review  might  mean.  Some  said  it  was  for  the  secretary 
to  inspect  the  navy  yard ;  some  to  examine  into  the  defenses  of  the 
fort;  and  some  said  that  it  meant  scaling  ladders  and  a  midnight 
assault. 

That  night  we  had  a  jolly  time  of  it  in  an  Alabama  captain's  tent — 
with  songs,  cards  and  whisky  punch,  such  as  only  "Mac"  could 
brew.  Even  "the  colonel "  confessed  himself  beaten  at  his  great 
trick ;  and  in  compliment  drank  tumbler  after  tumbler.  As  we  walked 
over  to  our  tent  in  the  early  mist  before  dawn,  he  said : 

"Egad!  there's  mischief  brewing — mischief,  sir!  The  seat  of 
war's  to  be  removed  to  Virginia  and  the  capital  to  Richmond!" 

I  stopped  and  looked  at  the  colonel.     Was  it  the  punch  ? 

"That's  what  the  council  this  evening  meant?  " 

"Just  so.  Bragg  remains,  but  part  of  his  garrison  goes  to  Beau- 
regard,  in  Virginia.  Trains  to  Montgomery  will  be  jammed  now,  so 
we'd  better  be  off.  And,  egad,  sir !  I'm  to  get  ready  for  the  field. 
Yes,  sir,  for  the  field !" 

Next  morning  the  information  that  had  filtered  to  me  through  the 
colonel's  punch  was  announced  in  orders,  and  enthusiastic  cheers 
greeted  the  news  that  some  of  the  troops  were  to  go  to  a  field  prom- 
ising active  service  and  speedily  at  that. 

The  routine  of  camp  life  had  already  begun  to  pall  upon  the  better 
class  of  men,  and  all  were  equally  anxious  to  go  where  they  could 
prove  more  clearly  how  ready  they  were  to  do  their  devoir. 

Some  Alabamians,  two  Georgia  regiments,  the  Chasseurs-a-pied, 
the  "Tigers"  and  the  Zouaves  were  to  go  to  Virginia;  and  through 


Four  Years  in  Rebel  Capitals.  71 

the  courtesy  of  the  officers  of  the  latter  corps,  we  got  seats  to  Mont- 
gomery in  their  car;  two  days  later. 

Meantime,  all  was  hum  and  bustle  through  the  whole  camp,  and 
as  the  limited  rolling  stock  on  the  still  unfinished  railroad  could  only 
accommodate  a  regiment  at  a  time,  they  left  at  all  hours  of  the  day, 
or  night,  that  the  trains  arrived.  Constantly  at  midnight  the  dull 
tramp  of  marching  men  and  the  slow  tap  of  the  drum,  passing  our 
quarters,  roused  us  from  sleep ;  and  whatever  the  hour,  the  departing 
troops  were  escorted  to  the  station  by  crowds  of  half-envious  com- 
rades, who  "were  left  out  in  the  cold."  And  as  the  trains  started — 
box  cars,  flats  and  tenders  all  crowded,  inside  and  out — yell  after 
yell  went  up  in  stentorian  chorus,  echoing  through  the  still  woods,  in 

place  of 

"That  sweet  old  word,  good-bye!" 

One  gray  dawn,  six  hundred  Zouaves  filed  out  of  the  pines  and 
got  aboard  our  train.  They  were  a  splendid  set  of  animals;  medium 
sized,  sunburnt,  muscular  and  wiry  as  Arabs;  and  a  long,  swingy  gait 
told  of  drill  and  endurance.  But  the  faces  were  dull  and  brutish, 
generally;  and  some  of  them  would  vie,  for  cunningvillainy,  with 
the  features  of  the  prettiest  Turcos  that  Algeria  could  produce. 

The  uniform  was  very  picturesque  and  very — dirty.  Full,  baggy, 
scarlet  trowsers,  confined  round  the  waist  by  the  broad,  blue  band  or 
sash,  bearing  the  bowie-knife  and  meeting,  at  mid-leg,  the  white 
gaiter ;  blue  shirt  cut  very  low  and  exhibiting  the  brawny,  sunburnt 
throat ;  jacket  heavily  braided  and  embroidered,  flying  loosely  off  the 
shoulders,  and  the  jaunty  fez,  surmounting  the  whole,  made  a  bright 
ensemble  that  contrasted  prettily  with  the  gray  and  silver  of  the  South 
Carolinians,  or  the  rusty  brown  of  the  Georgians,  who  came  in 
crowds  to  see  them  off. 

But  the  use  of  these  uniforms  about  the  grease  and  dust  of  Pensa- 
cola  camp-fires  had  left  marks  that  these  soldiers  considered  badges 
of  honor,  not  to  be  removed. 

Nor  were  they  purer  morally.  Graduates  of  the  slums  of  New 
Orleans,  their  education  in  villainy  was  naturally  perfect.  They  had 
the  vaguest  ideas  of  memn  and  tuum ;  and  small  personal  difficulties, 
were  usually  settled  by  the  convincing  argument  of  a  bowie-knife,  or 
brass  knuckle. 

Yet  they  had  been  brought  to  a  very  perfect  state  of  drill  and  ef- 


72  Four  Years  in  Rebel  Capitals. 

ficiency.  All  commands  were  given  in_Fr.ench — the  native  tongue  of 
nearly  all  the  officers  and  most  of  the  men ;  and,  in  cases  of  insubor- 
dination, the  former  had  no  hesitancy  in  a  free  use  of  the  revolver.  A 
wonderful  peacemaker  is  your  six-shooter. 

They  might  be  splendid  fellows  for  a  charge  on  the  "  Pet  Lambs," 
or  on  a — pocket ;  but,  on  the  whole,  were  hardly  the  men  one  would 
choose  for  partners  in  any  business  but  a  garroting  firm,  or  would  de- 
sire to  have  sleep  in  the  company  bedroom. 

Their  officers  we  found  of  a  class  entirely  above  them ;  active, 
bright,  enthusiastic  Frenchmen,  with  a  frank  courtesy  and  soldierly 
bearing  that  were  very  taking.  They  occupied  the  rear  car  of  the 
train,  while  the  men  filled  the  forward  ones,  making  the  woods  ring 
with  their  wild  yells,  and  the  roaring  chorus  of  the  song  of  the  Zou-Zou. 

We  had  crossed  the  gap  at  Garland,  where  the  road  was  yet  un- 
finished, and  were  soon  at  the  breakfast  house,  where  we  mounted 
the  hill  in  a  body;  leaving  our  car  perfectly  empty,  save  a  couple  of 
buglers  who  stood  on  the  platform.  As  I  looked  back,  the  elder 
musician  was  a  most  perfect  picture  of  the  Turco.  He  had  served  in 
Algiers,  and  after  the  war  in  Italy  brought  a  bullet  in  his  leg  to  New 
Orleans.  He  was  long  past  fifty — spare,  broad-shouldered  and  hard 
as  a  log  of  oak.  His  sharp  features  were  bronzed  to  the  richest  ma- 
hogany color,  and  garnished  with  a  moustache  and  peak  of  grizzled 
hair  "a  cubit  and  a  span" — or  nearly — in  length.  And  the  short, 
grizzled  hair  had  been  shaved  far  back  from  his  prominent  temples, 
giving  a  sinister  and  grotesque  effect  to  his  naturally  hard  face.  Turc 
was  a  favorite  with  the  officers,  and  his  dress  was  rather  cleaner  than 
that  of  the  others  ;  a  difference  that  was  hardly  an  improvement. 

We  were  just  seated  at  breakfast — and  having  a  special  train  we 
took  our  time — when  a  wild  scream  of  the  whistle,  succeeded  imme- 
diately by  the  heavy  rumble  of  cars,  came  up  the  hill.  We  rushed 
to  the  windows,  just  in  time  to  see  a  column  of  smoke  disappearing 
round  the  curve  and  the  officers'  car  standing  solitary  and  empty 
on  the  road. 

The  Zouaves  had  run  away  with  the  train ! 

The  language  the  officers  used,  as  we  surrounded  the  "sole  sur- 
vivors " — the  two  buglers — was,  at  least,  strong ;  and  short,  hard 
words  not  in  the  church  service  dropped  frequently  from  their  lips. 

It  was  no  use ;  the  train  had  gone  and  the  men  with  it,  and  the 


Four  Years  in  Rebel  Capitals.  73 

best  we  could  do  was  to  speculate  on  the  intention  of  the  runaways, 
while  we  waited  the  result  of  the  telegrams  sent  to  both  ends  of  the 
line  for  another  engine.  At  last  it  came  puffing  up,  and  we  whirled 
at  its  full  speed  into  Montgomery. 

Meanwhile  the  Zou-Zous  had  several  hours'  start.  Led  by  one 
ardent  spirit — whose  motto  had  been  similia  similibus,  until  he  lost 
his  balance  of  mind — they  had  uncoupled  the  officers'  car  and  forced 
the  engineers  to  take  them  on.  On  arriving  at  Montgomery,  they 
wandered  over  the  town,  "going  through  "  drinking-houses  until  they  *• 
became  wild  with  liquor;  then  bursting  open  the  groceries  to  get 
whisky,  threatening  the  citizens  and  even  entering  private  houses.  The 
alarm  became  so  great,  as  the  Zouaves  became  more  maddened,  that 
the  first  Georgia  regiment  was  ordered  out  and  stationed  by  platoons, 
with  loaded  muskets  and  fixed  bayonets,  across  the  streets  where  the 
rioters  were.  Serious  trouble  was  beginning,  when  the  car  with  their 
officers  dashed  into  the  depot. 

The  charge  of  the  Light  Brigade  was  surpassed  by  those  irate 
Creoles.  With  the  cars  still  in  rapid  motion,  they  leaped  off,  revolver 
in  hand;  and  charged  into  the  quarter  where  their  drunken  men  were 
still  engaged  in  every  sort  of  ex££ss._  The  old  bugler  still  trotted  at 
their  head,  his  black  eyes  gleaming  at  the  prospect  of  the  row,  and 
his  bugle  occasionally  raised  to  sound  the  "rally."  Into  the  midst 
of  the  drunken  and  yelling  crowd  dashed  the  officers;  crackling 
French  oaths  rolling  over  their  tongues  with  a  snapping  intonation, 
and  their  pistols  whirling  right  and  left  like  slung-shot,  and  dropping 
a  mutineer  at  every  blow.  Habit  and  the  rough  usage  overcame  even 
the  drunken  frenzy  of  the  men,  and  they  dropped  the  plunder  from 
their  arms,  snatched  muskets  from  the  corners  they  had  been  whirled 
into,  and  rapidly  dressed  into  line  in  the  street. 

I  saw  one  beardless  boy,  slight  and  small,  rush  to  a  huge  sergeant 
and  order  him  into  ranks.  The  soldier,  a  perfect  giant,  hesitated  to 
drop  the  handful  of  shoes  he  had  seized,  only  for  a  second.  But  that 
was  enough.  The  youth  had  to  jump  from  the  ground  to  seize  his 
throat ;  but,  at  the  same  moment,  the  stock  of  the  heavy  revolver 
crashed  over  his  temple,  and  he  fell  like  a  stricken  ox. 

"  Roll  that  carrion  into  the  street!"  said  the  lieutenant  to  another 
soldier  near ;  and  before  his  order  was  obeyed  the  store  was  empty. 

In  a  half  hour  from  the  officers'  arrival  the  battalion  was  mustered 


74  Four  Years  in  Rebel  Capitals. 

on  Main  street,  and  only  nine  absentees  were  reported  at  roll-call; 
but  many  a  fez  was  drawn  far  down  over  a  bleeding  forehead,  and 
many  a  villainous  countenance  was  lighted  by  one  eye,  while  the 
other  was  closed  and  swollen. 

The  colonel  and  I  had  jumped  from  the  car  and  run  on  with  our 
French  friends ;  but  the  colonel  was  not  the  son  of  Atalanta,  and  by 
reason  of  a  soupfon  of  gout  his  feet  were  not  beautiful  upon  Zion 
or  any  other  place.  Neither  could  he  make  them  ' '  swift  to  shed 
blood." 

As  we  entered  the  street  where  the  rioters  were,  I  turned  and 
saw  him,  perfectly  breathless,  bear  his  two  hundred  and  fifty  pounds 
avoirdupois  against  a  door.  It  was  not  closed,  but  had  only  been 
slammed  by  the  score  of  Zou-Zous  enjoying  the  whisky  within;  and 
as  I  looked  I  saw  a  dignified  colonel  in  the  C.  S.  army  turn  a  com- 
plete somersault  into  a  group  of  red-legged  devils,  who  immediately 
closed  around  him. 

Gabriel  Ravel,  though  a  lighter  man,  never  made  a  cleaner  leap 
through  the  third  story  in  the  side-scene ;  but  there  was  no  time  to 
waste  and  I  went  back  at  speed.  I  had  scarcely  turned  when  I  saw 
the  colonel's  huge  form  tower  among  the  red-legs.  By  the  time  I 
reached  the  door  my  apparition,  revolver  in  hand,  completed  what 
he  had  begun;  and  they  slipped  by  and  vanished. 

Luckily  the  bar  of  the  door  had  fallen  with  him,  and  the  old  gym- 
nastics of  other  days  coming  back  like  a  flash,  he  had  seized  it,  made 
two  rapid  blows  and  laid  as  many  of  his  assailants  at  his  feet;  roaring, 
meanwhile,  oaths  as  thunderous  as  they  were  unintelligible. 

"Saere-e  nom!"  he  shouted  as  he  saw  me;  "  shoot  'em,  me  boy! 
Poltrons,  egad!  Laugh  at  me!  D — n  their  eyes  !  Can-n- naille!" 

There  was  a  wicked  light  in  my  fat  friend's  eye,  and  he  had 
recovered  his  second  wind ;  so  we  sallied  out,  the  colonel  still  clinging 
to  his  weapon  of  chance. 

"Good  enough  for  these  dogs!"  he  roared,  wrathfully  shaking 
the  bar.  "  Saves  the  pistol." 

That  night  at  "  the  Ranche,"  as  later- about  many  a  camp-fire,  our 
French  visitors  declared  that  the  colonel's  bar  had  done  more  effect- 
ive service  than  their  revolvers ;  and,  as  it  stood  dented  and  blood- 
smeared  in  the  corner  of  that  vine-clad  porch,  it  did  not  belie  their 
praise. 


Four   Years  in  Rebel  Capitals.  75 


CHAPTER   X. 

EN   ROUTE   FOR   THE   BORDER. 

Very  soon  after  their  state  went  out  of  the  Union,  and  it  became 
settled  that  the  policy  of  the  central  Government  was  to  take  posses- 
sion of  the  border  states  by  force,  the  people  of  Virginia  decided  that 
the  battle  was  to  be  fought  on  her  soil.  Her  nearness  to  Washing- 
ton, the  facility  of  land  communication,  and  the  availabilty  of  her 
waterways  for  transportation  purposes,  all  pointed  to  this ;  and  the 
southern  Government  also  became  aware  that  the  Potomac  boundary 
of  the  Confederacy  was  the  one  to  be  most  jealously  guarded. 
Under  these  circumstances,  when  the  tender  of  the  use  of  the  state 
capital  at  Richmond  was  made  to  the  Montgomery  Government,  the 
advantages  of  the  move  were  at  once  apparent,  and  the  proffer  was 
promptly  accepted. 

When  we  returned  to  Montgomery,  preparations  for  removal 
were  in  such  state  of  progress  that  the  change  would  be  made  in  a 
few  days.  Archives  and  public  property  not  in  daily  use  had  already 
been  sent  on,  and  some  of  the  force  of  the  executive  departments  were 
already  in  the  new  capital,  preparing  for  the  reception  of  the  remain- 
der. Troops  in  large  bodies  had  already  been  forwarded  to  Virginia 
from  all  parts  of  the  South,  and  all  indications  were  that,  before  the 
summer  was  over,  an  active  campaign  on  the  soil  of  the  Old  Domin- 
ion would  be  in  progress. 

About  this  time,  a  telegram  from  Montgomery  appeared  in  the  New 
York  Tribune,  which  created  as  much  comment  at  the  South  as  at  the 
North.  It  stated,  in  so  many  words,  that  the  whole  South  was  in  mo- 
tion ;  that  a  few  days  would  see  Mr.  Davis  in  Virginia  at  the  head  of 
thirty  thousand  men,  Beauregard  second  in  command.  With  the  two 
sections  in  a  state  of  open  hostility,  and  with  armies  already  in  the 
field  and  maneuvering  for  position,  it  was  somewhat  singular  that  the 
avowed  correspondent  of  a  northern  journal  should  be  allowed  in  the 
southern  Capital ;  but,  when  his  dispatches  bore  on  their  face  some 
signs  of  authoritative  sanction,  it  became  stranger  still. 


76  Four  Years  in  Rebel  Capitals. 

The  correspondent  of  the  Tribune  was  a  well-known  lobby  mem- 
ber of  years  standing,  but  avowedly  a  southern  man.  His  intercourse 
with  the  leaders  of  the  government  was,  at  least,  friendly,  and  his 
predictions  and  assertions  in  the  columns  of  that  newspaper  were 
generally  borne  out  in  fact.  The  state  of  the  country  was  an  anoma- 
lous one,  but  this  method  of  waging  war  was  still  more  so. 

The  history  of  the  dispatch  in  question  was  simply  this  :  There 
had  been  much  jubilation  in  Montgomery  over  the  news  from  Vir- 
ginia. Serenades  had  been  made,  speeches  delivered,  and  the 
invariable  whisky  had  not  been  neglected. 

Late  at  night,  I  was  shown  a  copy  of  this  dispatch,  as  one  about 
to  be  sent.  On  my  doubting  it,  I  was  credibly  informed  that  it  had 
been  shown  to  at  least  one  cabinet  officer,  and  received  his  ap- 
proval. And  it  went! 

When  it  was  finally  settled  that  the  Capital  was  to  be  moved  to 
Virginia,  the  city  of  Montgomery  began  to  wail.  It  had  all  along 
been  utterly  and  most  emphatically  opposed  to  the  location  of  the 
government  there.  It  would  ruin  the  trade,  the  morals  and  the 
reputation  of  the  town.  Dowagers  had  avowed  their  belief  that  the 
continuance  of  the  Congress  there  for  one  year  would  render  the 
city  as  perfect  a  Sodom  as  Washington — would  demoralize  the  society 
beyond  purification. 

Men  of  business  had  grumbled  at  being  disturbed  from  their  fixed 
routine  of  many  years.  But  now  that  the  incubus  was  to  be  re- 
moved, there  was  a  strong  pressure  to  prevent — and  bitter  denunci- 
ations of — the  outrage! 

Leaders  came  out  in  the  papers,  advising  against  the  practicability; 
scathing  articles  about  perfidy  sometimes  appeared ;  and  it  was,  on 
all  hands,  prophesied  that  the  government  would  lose  caste  and  dig- 
nity, and  become  a  traveling  caravan  if  the  change  were  made. 
Where  will  the  nations  of  Europe  find  it  when  they  send  their  min- 
isters to  recognize  the  Confederate  Government? — was  the  peroration 
of  these  eloquent  advocates. 

Now,  as  there  was  no  contract  made  or  implied,  in  locating  the 
provisional  government  at  Montgomery,  that  it  was  to  be  the  per- 
manent Capital ;  or  that  the  exigencies  of  the  war  might  not  necessi- 
tate a  change  to  some  point  more  available,  this  was  at  least  unnec- 
essary. True,  the  people  had  made  sacrifices,  and  had  inconveni- 


Four  Years  in  Rebel  Capitals.  77 

enced  themselves.  But  what  they  had  done  was  for  the  country, 
and  not  for  the  Government;  and  had,  besides,  been  done  equally 
elsewhere.  And  the  location,  even  temporarily,  of  the  Government 
there  had  aided  the  town  greatly.  It  had  become  the  converging 
point  of  railroad  and  contract  business  for  the  Confederacy;  and  the 
depots  and  storehouses  located  there  would  be  of  course  continued, 
throwing  a  vast  amount  of  business  activity  and  money  into  it.  So, 
though  the  people  might  be  somewhat  morbid  on  the  subject,  their 
arguments  against  the  change  were,  on  the  whole,  if  natural,  not 
founded  on  fact. 

But,  perfectly  regardless  of  the  thunders  of  the  press  and  the 
growlings  of  the  people,  the  preparations  for  removal  and  the  change 
of  base  to  Virginia  went  steadily  on.  By  the  2oth  of  May,  every- 
thing had  been  completed — the  President  and  Cabinet  left  Mont- 
gomery— the  fact,  that  had  for  some  time  been  a  real  one,  was  for- 
mally consummated ;  and  Montgomery  became  again  the  Capital  of 
Alabama. 

I  had  nothing  to  keep  me  in  town  longer,  so  I  started  for  a 
leisurely  trip  to  Richmond.  But  man  proposes ;  and  in  this  instance, 
the  Quartermaster's  Department  disposed  that  travel  was  to  be  any- 
thing but  practicable. 

Trains,  crowded  with  troops  from  all  directions,  met  at  the  junc- 
tions, and  there  had  to  lay  over  for  hours,  or  days.  Burden  trains, 
with  supplies  for  the  army,  munitions  of  war,  or  government  prop- 
erty from  Montgomery,  blocked  the  road  in  all  directions;  and 
trains  running  "  not  on  time"  had  to  proceed  much  more  carefully 
than  ordinarily.  In  fact,  there  was  not  the  amount  of  transporta- 
tion at  the  disposal  of  the  roads  that  the  greatly  enhanced  demands 
required;  and  at  every  station  nearer  Richmond,  the  pressure  of 
passengers  and  freight  became  greater. 

Through  Georgia  I' bore  the  troubles  of  the  transit  like  a  philoso- 
pher; but  under  three  detentions  between  Augusta  and  Columbia, 
of  from  nine  to  thirteen  hours,  patience  and  endurance  both  gave 
way. 

South  Carolina  had  gone  into  the  war  with  her  eyes  wider  open  than 
those  of  her  sisters ;  and  while  she  had  yet  time,  was  straining  every 
nerve  to  utilize  all  her  available  resources  and  to  make  new  ones. 
Her  factories,  tanneries  and  foundries  were  all  in  constant  and  active 
operation ;  she  was  making  bountiful  preparation  for  the  future. 


78  Four  Years  in  Rebel  Capitals. 

Everywhere  in  the  South  was  earnest  endeavor  and  heartfelt 
enthusiasm  for  the  cause ;  but  I  saw  it  nowhere  directed  into  such 
practical  and  productive  channels,  thus  early,  as  in  South  Carolina. 
Charleston,  Pensacola  and  Virginia  had  drained  her  of  younger  and 
more  active  men  ;  but  the  older  ones  and  her  vast  resources  of  slave 
labor  made  up  for  the  loss,  and  neither  time  nor  energy  seemed  to 
be  misapplied. 

After  a  rest,  I  found  a  freight  train  with  a  philanthropic  conductor, 
and  started  for  Kingsville.  VCR  Victis  I 

I  reached  that  station — what  a  misnomer ! — in  a  driving  mist  and 
a  very  bad  humor.  Neither  was  a  fine  preparation  for  the  news  that 
a  train  had  smashed  seventeen  miles  above,  tearing  up  the  track  and 
effectually  blocking  the  road.  The  down  train,  with  which  we  were 
to  connect,  could  not  come  through;  not  a  car  was  visible;  no  one 
knew  when  we  could  get  off,  and  the  engine  we  had  left  was  just 
disappearing  around  a  curve — Charlestonward. 

One  hopeful  individual  ventured  a  mild  suggestion  that  we  should 
have  to  stay  all  night.  He  weighed  a  hundred  and  eighty  pounds, 
at  least — not  a  fraction  less — so  I  remained  passive  ;  but  ten  pounds 
subtracted  from  his  avoirdupois  would  have  brought  him  a  black  eye. 
Stay  all  night !  The  idea  was  an  ague  ! 

Kingsville  was  a  splendid  aggregation  of  one  house  and  a  long 
platform.  The  town — /.  e.,  the  house — had,  even  in  palmy  days, 
been  remarkable  on  the  road  for  great  dirt,  wretched  breakfasts  and 
worse  whisky.  You  entered  at  one  door,  grabbed  a  biscuit  and  a 
piece  of  bacon  and  rushed  out  at  the  other ;  or  you  got  an  awful 
decoction  of  brown  sugar  and  turpentine  in  a  green  tumbler.  Con- 
stant travel  and  crowds  of  passing  soldiers  had  not  improved  it  in 
any  particular.  The  very  looks  of  the  place  were  repugnant  enough 

in  the  daytime,  but 

"  Bold  was  he  who  hither  came 
At  midnight — man  or  boyT" 

I  felt  that  a  night  in  the  rain  under  the  pines,  with  my  bag  for  a 
pillow,  would  be  endurable ;  but  no  mortal  with  a  white  skin  could 
dare  those  bloated  and  odorous  feather-beds,  where  other  things — in 
the  shape  of  mordants,  vivacious,  active  and  gigantic — besides 
"Wicked  dreams  abuse  the  curtained  sleeper." 

To  mend  matters,  GartrelPs  regiment  of  Georgians,  eight  hundred 


Four  Years  in  Rebel  Capitals.  79 

and  fifty  strong,  and  three  other  companies  of  Georgians  from  Pen- 
sacola,  had  been  left  here  to  meet  a  way-train,  which  failing,  they 
bivouacked  by  the  roadside.  In  all  there  were  over  eleven  hundred 
tobacco-and-gin  redolences,  remarkably  quiet  for  them;  shooting  at 
a  mark,  going  through  squad  drill,  drinking  bad  liquor  by  the  canteen 
and  swearing  in  a  way  that  would  have  made  the  "Army  in  Flanders" 
sick  with  envy. 

In  the  latter  amusement  I  joined  internally ;  and  it  did  me  so  much 
good  that  I  bought  the  anti-administration  newspaper  of  Charleston 
and,  getting  out  of  bullet  range,  put  my  back  against  a  tree  and  tried 
to  read.  Mercury  was  ever  a  blithe  and  sportive  god,  and  his  gam- 
bols on  Mount  Olympus  were  noted  in  days  of  yore ;  but  the  modern 
namesake — or  else  my  present  position — had  soporific  tendencies ;  and 
fear  of  the  target  shooters  growing  dimmer  and  dimmer,  I  lost  myself 
in  sleep. 

It  was  near  sundown  when  I  was  awakened  by  the  snort  of  a  loco- 
motive, and  a  freight  train  hove  in  sight.  The  drums  rolled,  the 
troops  formed  in  line,  each  one  packing  his  household  on  his  back  as 
he  trotted  along ;  and,  as  the  cars  backed  up,  the  men  broke  ranks 
and  jumped  aboard,  filling  every  crack  and  corner,  and  seeming  to 
pile  on  top  of  each  other. 

A  berth  there  was  utterly  impracticable  to  any  man  with  any  of 
his  senses  in  active  operation.  That  squirming,  dense  mass  of 
humanity  was  more  than  the  oldest  traveler  could  stand,  and  I  gave 
up  my  place  in  the  rush.  Luckily,  there  was  an  express  car  along, 
and  I  found  the  agent.  He  was  very  busy;  and  eloquence  worthy  of 
Gough,  or  Cicero,  or  Charles  Sumner  got  no  satisfaction.  Desperation 
suggested  a  masonic  signal,  with  the  neck  of  a  black  bottle  protrud- 
ing from  my  bag.  The  man  of  parcels  melted  and  invoked  terrible 
torments  on  the  immortal  part  of  him  if  he  didn't  let  me  "  g'long  wi' 
the  'spress,"  as  he  styled  that  means  of  locomotion. 

The  accommodation  was  not  princely — six  feet  by  ten,  cumbered 
with  packages  of  all  shapes  and  sizes  and  strongly  flavored  with 
bacon  and  pipe.  Yet,  "not  for  gold  or  precious  stones"  would  I 
have  exchanged  that  redolent  corner.  The  agent  waxed  more  and 
more  polite  as  the  bottle  emptied,  regretted  the  want  of  room, 
regaled  himself  with  frequent  "nips,"  and  me  with  anecdotes  of  a 
professional  nature. 


So  Four  Years  in  Rebel  Capitals. 

From  him  was  learned  that  he  was  with  the  train  that  had  carried 
my  old  friends,  the  Zouaves,  to  their  fresh  fields  of  glory  in  Virginia. 
They  retained  a  lively  recollection  of  their  lesson  at  Montgomery, 
and  had  kept  rather  quiet  till  reaching  Columbia.  There  the  devil 
again  got  unchained  among  them,  and  they  broke  out  in  a  style  to 
make  up  for  their  enforced  good  behavior. 

"  Sich  a  shooting  of  cattle  and  poultry,  sich  a  yelling  and  singing 
of  ther  darned  frenchy  stuff— sich  a  rolling  of  drums  and  a  damning 
of  officers,  I  ain't  hear  yit " — said  the  agent.  "And  they  does  ride 
more  on  the  outside  of  the  cars  than  the  inside,  anyhow." 

Beyond  Weldon  a  knot  were  balancing  themselves  on  the  connect- 
ing beams  of  the  box-cars.  Warned  by  their  officers,  they . laughed ; 
begged  by  the  conductors,  they  swore.  Suddenly  there  was  a  jolt, 
the  headway  of  the  cars  jammed  them  together,  and  three  red-legged 
gentlemen  were  mashed  between  them — flat  as  Ravel  in  the  panto- 
mime. 

"And  I'm  jest  a-thinkin',"  was  his  peroration,  "  ef  this  yere  reege- 
ment  don't  stop  a-fightin'  together,  being  shot  by  the  Georgians  and 
beat  by  their  officers — not  to  mention  a  jammin'  up  on  railroads — 
they're  gwine  to  do  darned  leetle  sarvice  a-fightin'  of  Yanks !  " 

After  this  period  the  agent  talked,  first  to  himself  and  then  to  the 
black  bottle ;  while  I,  seated  on  a  box  of  cartridges,  lit  my  pipe  and 
went  into  a  reverie  as  to  the  treatment  the  surgeons  would  use  in  the 
pneumonia  sure  to  result  from  the  leaks  in  the  car. 

In  the  midst  of  an  active  course  of  turpentine  and  stimulants,  I 
was  brought  to  myself  by  a  jolt  and  dead  halt  in  mid  road.  The 
engine  had  blown  off  a  nut,  and  here  we  were,  dead  lame,  six  miles 
from  a  station  and  no  chance  of  getting  on. 

My  Express  friend  advised  very  quietly  to  "quit  this  and  walk 
onter  Florence." 

"'Taint  but  a  small  tramp  after  all,"  he  said.  "And  ye'll  jest 
catch  the  A.  M.  up  train  and  miss  the  sojers.  Jest  hand  this  yere  to 
the  A.  &  Co.'s  agent,  and  he'll  help  yer  ef  she's  crowded.  Here's 
luck !"  and  he  took  a  long  pull  at  the  bottle  and  handed  it  back — 
rather  regretfully — with  a  dingy  note  on  the  back  of  an  Express 
receipt. 

For  the  benefit  of  literature  in  ages  yet  unborn,  I  give  a  careful 
transcription  of  this  document : 


Four  Years  in  Rebel  Capitals.  81 

"Deer  bil  this  gentilman  Is  a  verry  peerticular  frend  of  mine — also 
My  brother-en-law.  And  you  must  give  him  sum  Help  ef  he  needs  any 
cos  Our  engen  she's  run  of  the  track  And  I  won't  be  long  afore  to  morrer. 

'•'•Yours  trewly,  GRIMES." 

Thus  armed,  I  shouldered  my  bag  and  started  on  my  tramp  over 
the  wet  and  slippery  track,  reaching  Florence  at  gray  dawn.  As  I 
came  in  sight,  there  stood  the  train,  the  engines  cold  and  fires  unlit. 
I  had  full  time,  but  my  good  luck — the  first  since  I  started — put  me 
in  a  glow,  and  I  stepped  out  in  a  juvenile  pace  that  would  have  done 
credit  to  "the  Boy"  in  training  days.  As  I  came  nearer,  my  mercury 
went  rapidly  down  to  zero.  Every  car  was  jammed,  aisles  packed  and 
box-cars  crowded  even  on  top.  The  doorways  and  platforms  were 
filled  with  long  rows  of  gray  blankets  that  smelt  suggestively  human ! 
Crowds  of  detained  passengers  and  three  companies  of  the  "Crescent 
Guard"  had  taken  their  places  at  midnight,  and  slept  with  a  peace- 
fulness  perfectly  aggravating.  As  I  walked  ruefully  by  the  windows, 
there  was  no  hope !  Every  seat  was  filled,  and  every  passenger  slept 
the  sleep  of  the  just ;  and  their  mixed  and  volleyed  snoring  came 

through, 

"  Keeping  time,  time,  time, 
In  a  sort  of  Runic  rhyme." 

There  was  no  sort  of  use.  I'd  have  to  try  the  Express,  and  deep 
was  my  chuckle  as  I  reread  my  friend  Grimes'  remarkable  produc- 
tion. It  would  be  an  oasis  in  this  desert — that  Express  car ;  but  lo ! 
when  I  went  to  look  for  it  there  was  none  on  the  train ! 

Dead  beat  I  sat  on  the  platform  and  awaited  day.  When  a  fire- 
man began  operations  on  the  engine,  I  meekly  queried  where  the 
Express  was. 

'•'  Be  n't  none,"  was  the  surly  rejoinder. 

I  was  wet  and  tired  and  generally  bewildered.  Was  it  a  wonder 
that  I  then  and  there  swore  at  that  fireman,  as  only  meek  and  long- 
suffering  men,  when  aroused,  can  swear  ?  The  volley  was  effective, 
however,  and  he  very  politely  told  me  the  agent  would  "be  roun'" 
before  the  train  started.  Presently  he  pointed  out  the  desired  indi- 
vidual, to  whom  I  hastened  to  hand  my  note.  Now  the  terrible  de- 
nunciations my  former  friend  had  made  on  his  own  soul  were  as 
nothing  to  what  the  present  representative  of  Adams  &  Co.  called 
down  upon  his  own  and  everybody  else's  immortal  function. 
6 


82  Four  Years  in  Rebel  Capitals. 

"  Well,  I  hope  to  be,  eternally by !  But  it  ain't  no 

use ! my soul,  ef  yer  shan't  ride  somehow ! "  remarked 

this  profane  expressman.  "Yer  be  Hector  Grimes'  brother,  and 

by !  go  yer  shell !  Yer  married  his  sister  Cynthy— the  one  as 

squints  ?  Why  — : me  !  I  knowed  her  when  she  wasn't  knee 

high— and  yer  done well,  by  !  Here,  Potty!"  and 

he  addressed  a  greasy  man  just  mounting  the  mail  car — "  Here  be 

Grimes'  brother,  as  must  git  to  Weldon,  by !  So  hist  him 

along,  will  yer?" 

"O.  K.  Jump  in,  Mr.  Grimes,"  agreed  the  mail  agent;  and  by 
this  time  I  was  so  wet  and  disgusted  I  didn't  care  who  I  was.  So  in 
I  went,  playing  Grimes  "for  this  night  only." 

"  Here's  luck,  Potty!  may me,  but  I'm  glad  I  met  yer, 

Grimes,"  remarked  my  profane  friend,  taking  a  long  pull  at  the  bottle 
I  handed  him  in  my  gratitude.  "Here's  to  your  wife,  Grimes!" 
and  the  cars  starting  just  then,  "deer  bil"  took  another  pull  and, 
with  great  absence  of  mind,  put  the  bottle  in  his  pocket  and  waved 
us  adieu. 

The  Mail  car,  like  the  Express,  was  a  box  ten  feet  by  six — one- 
half  the  space  filled  with  counter  and  pigeon-holes,  and  the  other  half 
with  mail-bags.  Into  the  remainder  were  crammed  the  agent — 
specific  gravity  equal  to  that  of  two  hundred  and  ninety  pounds  of 
feathers — a  friend  of  his  and  myself.  The  friend  I  soon  found  was 
what  is  known  as  "a  good  traveling  companion;"  /.  e.,  a  man  who 
keeps  himself  primed  with  broad  stories  and  bad  whisky,  and  who 
doesn't  object  to  a  song  in  which  the  air  always  runs  away  with  the 
harmony.  After  we  started  I  tried  to  sleep.  It  was  no  use.  Lying 
on  one  mail-bag  with  another  for  a  pillow,  that  is  liable  to  be  jerked 
out  at  any  station  to  the  near  dislocation  of  your  neck,  with  a  funny 
man  sitting  nearly  on  you,  are  not  sedatives.  My  bottle  was  gone, 
so  I  drank  gin  out  of  the  funny  man's.  I  hate  gin— but  that  night 
I  hated  everything  and  tried  the  similia  similibus  rule. 

We  missed  connection  at  Weldon.  Did  anybody  ever  make  con- 
nection there?  We  were  four  hours  'late,  and  with  much  reason 
had,  therefore,  to  wait  five  hours  more.  If  Kingsville  is  cheap  and 
nasty,  Weldon  is  dear  and  nastier.  Such  a  supper !  It  was  inedible 
even  to  a  man  who  had  tasted  nothing  but  whisky,  gin  and  peanuts  for 
xforty-eight  hours.  Then  the  landlord— whose  hospitality  was  only 


Four  Years  in  Rebel  Capitals.  83 

equaled  by  his  patriotism — refused  to  open  his  house  at  train  time. 
We  must  either  stay  all  night,  or  not  at  all — for  the  house  would  shut 
at  ten  o'clock — just  after  supper.  So  a  deputation  of  the  Crescents  and 
I  waited  on  him,  and  after  a  plain  talk  concluded  to  "  cuss  and  quit." 
So  we  clambered  into  some  platform  cars  that  were  to  go  with  the 
train,  and,  after  a  sumptuous  supper  of  dried-apple  pies  and  peanuts, 
slept  the  sleep  of  the  weary. 


84  Four  Years  in  Rebel  Capitals. 


CHAPTER  XI. 

"ON   TO   RICHMOND  !  " 

Of  course,  Petersburg  was  reached  two  hours  after  the  train  for 
Richmond  had  left,  but  in  full  time  to  get  half  a  cold  breakfast,  at 
double  price.  For,  about  the  first  development  one  noted  in  the 
South  was  the  growth  of  an  inordinate  greed  in  the  class  who  had 
anything  to  sell,  or  to  do,  that  was  supposed  to  be  indispensable. 
The  small  hotels  and  taverns  along  the  railways  peculiarly  evidenced 
this ;  for,  demands  of  passengers  must  be  supplied,  and  this  was  the 
moment  for  harvest  full  and  fat.  Disgust,  wetting,  gin  and  detention 
had  made  me  feel  wolfish;  but  I  wanted  none  of  that  breakfast. 
Still,  I  gave  the  baldheaded  man,  with  nose  like  a  vulture — collect- 
ing nimbly  the  dollars  of  the  soldiers — a  very  decided  expression  of 
my  opinion.  He  seemed  deeply  pained  thereat ;  but  no  one  ever 
mentioned  that  he  had  put  down  the  price. 

At  the  depot  was  Frank  C.,  an  old  chum  of  Washington  "ger- 
mans,"  in  the  new  dress  of  first  sergeant  of  a  Georgia  battery.  He 
was  rushing  a  carload  of  company  property  to  Richmond,  and  was 
as  eager  as  I  and  the  Crescents  to  get  to  that  goal.  So,  between  us, 
the  railroad  superintendent  was  badgered  into  an  extra  engine ;  and, 
mounting  Frank's  triumphal  car,  we  bumped  away  from  fellow  trav- 
elers, wandering  dolefully  through  the  mud  in  vain  attempt  at  time- 
killing  until  the  evening  train.  That  freight-car — piled  as  it  was  with 
ammunition,  wheels  and  harness — was  a  Godsend,  after  the  past  three 
days.  Cicero,  Frank's  ancient  and  black  Man  Friday,  dispensed  hot 
coffee  and  huge  hunks  of  bread  and  ham ;  and  a  violin  and  two  good 
voices  among  the  Crescents  made  the  time  skim  along  far  faster  than 
since  starting. 

"How  is  it  you  haven't  your  commission?"  one  of  the  Creoles 
asked  the  Georgian.  "When  we  parted  at  Montgomery  it  was  prom- 
ised you." 

"Pledges  are  not  commissions,  though,"  was  the  careless  reply. 
"  I  got  tired  of  waiting  the  Secretary's  caprices,  when  there  was  real 


Four  Years  in  Rebel  Capitals.  85 

work  to  be  done ;  so  one  day  I  went  to  the  War  Department  and 
demanded  either  my  sheepskin,  or  a  positive  refusal.  I  got  only  more 
promises;  so  I  told  the  Sec.  I  needed  no  charity  from  the  govern- 
ment, but  would  present  it  with  a  company !  Then,  to  be  as  good  as 
my  word,  I  sold  some  cotton  and  some  stock,  equipped  this  com- 
pany and  — voila  tout!  " 

"  But  you  are  not  commanding  your  company?  " 

"Couldn't  do  it,  you  see.  Wouldn't  let  the  boys  elect  me  an 
officer  and  have  the  Sec.  think  I  had  bought  my  commission !  But, 
old  fellow,  I'll  win  it  before  the  month  is  out;  and,  if  God  spares  me, 
mother  shall  call  her  boy  Colonel  Frank,  before  Christmas  !  " 

Poor  Frank !  Before  the  hoped-for  day  his  bones  were  bleaching 
in  front  of  Fort  Magruder.  One  morning  the  retreat  from  York- 
town — a  pitiful  roadside  skirmish — a  bullet  in  his  brain — and  the 
tramp  of  McClellan's  advancing  hosts  packed  the  fresh  sods  over  his 
grave,  herds  monumentum!  He  was  one  of  many,  but  no  truer  heart 
or  readier  hand  were  stilled  in  all  the  war. 

Passing  out  of  the  cut  through  the  high  bluff,  just  across  the 
4<  Jeems  "  river  bridge,  Richmond  burst  beautifully  into  view ;  spread- 
ing panorama-like  over  her  swelling  hills,  with  the  evening  sun  gild- 
ing simple  houses  and  towering  spires  alike  into  a  glory.  The  city 
follows  the  curve  of  the  river,  seated  on  amphitheatric  hills,  retreat- 
ing from  its  banks ;  fringes  of  dense  woods  shading  their  slopes,  or 
making  blue  background  against  the  sky.  No  city  of  the  South  has 
grander  or  more  picturesque  approach  ;  and  now — as  the  slant  rays 
of  the  sun  kissed  her  a  loving  good-night — nothing  in  the  view  hinted 
of  war  to  come,  but  all  of  holy  peace. 

Just  here  the  James  narrows  its  bed  between  high  banks,  and  for 
some  three  miles — from  Hollywood  cemetery  down  to  "Rockett's" 
landing — the  shallow  current  dashes  over  its  rocky  bed  with  the  force 
and  chafe  of  a  mountain  torrent;  now  swirling,  churned  into  foamy 
rapids,  again  gliding  swiftly  smooth  around  larger  patches  of  islands 
that  dot  its  surface.  On  the  right  hand  hills,  behind  us,  rises  the 
suburb  village  of  Manchester,  already  of  considerable  importance  as 
a  milling  town ;  and  the  whole  coup  (Tceil — from  the  shining  heights  of 
Chimborazo  to  the  green  slopes  of  the  city  of  the  silent,  the  grim,  gray 
old  capitol  as  a  centerpiece — makes  a  Claud  landscape  that  admits 
no  thought  of  the  bloody  future  ! 


86  Four  Years  in  Rebel  Capitals. 

The  railroad  bridge — then  a  frail,  giddy  structure,  wide  enough 
for  a  track  and  footway — spans  near  a  mile  across  the  boiling  cur- 
rent. From  the  car-platform,  the  treetops  far  below  and  the  rugged, 
foam-crowned  rocks  look  inhospitably  distant.  I  have  whirled  round 
the  high  trestles  on  the  Baltimore  &  Ohio  when  the  work  swayed 
and  rattled  under  the  heavy  train,  threatening  each  moment  to  hurl 
us  down  the  precipitous  mountain  into  the  black,  rocky  bed  of  the 
Cheat,  hundreds  of  feet  below;  have  dashed  at  speed  round  steep 
grades  hewn  in  the  solid  rock,  where  the  sharp,  jagged  peaks  rose  a 
thousand  feet  beneath  us ;  and  I  have  raced  in  pitchy  nights  on  the 
western  rivers  in  tinder-box  boats,  that  seemed  shaking  to  pieces 
away  from  their  red-hot  furnaces ;  but  I  do  not  recall  any  piece  of 
travel  that  gave  the  same  sense  of  the  instability  of  railroad  affairs  as 
that  James  river  bridge. 

The  city  was  thoroughly  jammed — its  ordinary  population  of  forty 
thousand  swelled  to  three  times  that  number  by  the  sudden  pressure. 
Of  course,  all  the  Government,  with  its  thousand  employes,  had  come 
on ;  and  in  addition,  all  the  loose  population  along  the  railroad  over 
which  it  had  passed  seemed  to  have  clung  to  and  been  rolled  into 
Richmond  with  it.  Not  only  did  this  mania  seize  the  wealthier  and 
well-to-do  classes,  but  the  queerest  costumes  of  the  inland  corners  of 
Georgia  and  Tennessee  disported  themselves  with  perfect  composure 
at  hotels  and  on  the  streets.  Besides,  from  ten  to  fifteen  thousand 
troops  were  always  collected,  as  a  general  rendezvous,  before  assign- 
ment to  one  of  the  important  points — Norfolk,  the  Peninsula,  or  the 
Potomac  lines.  Although  these  were  in  camp  out  of  town,  their  offi- 
cers and  men  thronged  the  streets  from  daylight  to  dark,  on  business 
or  pleasure  bent;  and  the  variety  of  uniforms — from  the  butternut 
of  the  Georgia  private  to  the  three  stars  of  the  flash  colonel — broke 
the  monotony  of  the  streets  pleasingly  to  the  eye. 

Hotel  accommodations  in  Richmond  were  always  small  and  plain, 
and  now  they  were  all  overflowing.  The  Spotswood,  Exchange  and 
American  held  beds  at  a  high  premium  in  the  parlors,  halls  and  even 
on  the  billiard-tables.  All  the  lesser  houses  were  equally  packed, 
and  crowds  of  guests  stood  hungrily  round  the  dining-room  doors 
at  meal-times,  watching  and  scrambling  for  vacated  seats.  It  was  a 
clear  case  of  "devil  take  the  hindmost,"  for  their  cuisine  decreased 
in  quantity  and  quality  in  exact  ratio  to  augmentation  of  their  cus- 


Four  Years  in  Rebel  Capitals.  87 

torn.  The  Richmond  hotels,  always  mediocre,  were  now  wretched. 
Such  a  thing  as  a  clean  room,  a  hot  steak,  or  an  answered  bell  were 
not  to  be  bought  by  flagrant  bribery.  I  would  fain  believe  that  all 
concerned  did  their  best;  but  rapid  influx  absolutely  overwhelmed 
them ;  and  resources  of  the  neighboring  country — ample  to  support 
one-third  the  numbers  now  collected — were  quickly  exhausted  under 
suddenly  tripled  demand.  No  transportation  for  private  supplies  was 
available  in  the  overtaxed  condition  of  the  railroads ;  so  the  strangers, 
perforce,  had  to  "  grin  and  bear  it,"  dry  soever  as  the  grin  might  be. 
Private  boarding-houses  sprang  up  like  mushrooms  on  every  block ; 
bereaved  relicts  and  ambitious  spinsterhood  equally  clutching  the 
chance  to  turn  an  honest  penny.  And  naturally,  ordinary  trials  of 
boarding-house  life  were  aggravated  by  circumstance.  Discomfort  of 
the  hotels  was  great  enough ;  but,  dessicated  into  the  boarding-house 
can,  it  became  simply  unendurable.  In  this  strait  many  private  fami- 
lies were  induced  to  open  their  doors  to  the  better  class  of  strangers; 
and  gradually  the  whole  dense  population  settled  down,  wedged  into 
comparative  quiet.  Happily,  my  lines  fell  in  these  pleasanter  places ; 
and,  whatever  the  unavoidable  trials,  it  were  base  ingratitude  in  an 
experimental  pilgrim  among  the  mail-bags  to  indite  a  new  Jeremiad 
thereon. 

Suites  of  rooms  had  been  reserved  at  the  Spotswood  hotel  for  the 
President  and  some  of  his  Cabinet;  so  that  house  naturally  became 
headquarters.  Mr.  Davis'  office,  the  "  Cabinet-room  "  with  the  State 
and  Treasury  Departments  were  located  in  the  custom-house ;  and 
the  other  bureaux  of  the  Government  were  relegated  to  the  "  Mechan- 
ics' Institute,"  an  ungainly  pile  of  bricks,  formerly  used  as  library  and 
lecture-rooms. 

The  State  of  Virginia,  though  not  at  all  on  pleasure  bent  in  invit- 
ing the  Government  to  her  capital,  had  yet  been  of  frugal  enough' 
mind  not  to  commence  preparations  in  advance  of  acceptance ;  and' 
the  hejira  followed  so  swiftly  upon  it  that  we  plumped  down  into  their 
very  midst.  Miss  Bremer — who  declared  Alexandria  entirely  finished 
because  she  never  heard  the  sound  of  a  hammer — would  have  been 
more  than  amused  at  Richmond.  The  great  halls  of  the  Institute  were 
cutting  up  into  offices,  with  deafening  clatter,  day  and  night ;  and 
one  of  the  Cabinet  secretaries — who  did  not  exhibit,  if  indeed  he  pos- 
sessed, that  aspiration  ascribed  to  the  devil  when  ill — swore  himself 
almost  to  a  shadow. 


88  Four  Years  in  Rebel  Capitals. 

Both  these  public  offices  faced  upon  Capitol  Square ;  a  large,  iron- 
fenced  space,  beautifully  undulating  and  with  walks  winding  under 
grand  old  trees.  On  the  central  hill  stood  the  old  Slate  Capitol,  pict- 
uresque from  the  river,  but  grimly  dirty  on  close  inspection.  It  is 
a  plain,  quadrangular  construction,  with  Grecian  pediment  and  col- 
umns on  its  south  front  and  broad  flights  of  steps  leading  to  its  side 
porticoes.  Below  were  the  halls  of  the  legislature,  now  turned  over 
to  the  Confederate  States  Congress ;  and  in  the  small  rotunda  con- 
necting them  stood  Houdon's  celebrated  statue  of  Washington — a 
simple  but  majestic  figure  in  marble,  ordered  by  Dr.  Franklin  from 
the  French  sculptor  in  1785 — of  which  Virginians  are  justly  proud. 
In  the  cool,  vaulted  basement  were  the  State  officials ;  and  above  the 
halls  the  offices  of  the  governor  and  the  State  library.  That  collec- 
tion, while  lacking  many  modern  works,  held  some  rare  and  valuable 
editions.  It  was  presided  over  by  the  gentlest  and  most  courteous 
litterateur  of  the  South.  Many  a  bedeviled  and  ambitious  public 
man  may  still  recall  his  quiet,  modest  aid,  in  strong  contrast  to  the 
brusquerie  and  "insolence  of  office,"  too  much  the  general  rule;  and 
his  touching,  heart-born  poems  were  familiar  at  every  southern 
hearth  and  camp-fireside.  .  Soon  after,  the  familiar  voice  of  friend- 
ship was  dulled  to  him — exul patrice — by  the  boom  of  the  broad  Atlan- 
tic ;  and  now  his  bones  rest  far  away  from  those  alcoves  and  their 
classic  dust. 

John  R.  Thompson,  the  editor  of  the  famous  "Southern  Literary 
Messenger,"  went  to  London  to  edit  "The  Index,"  established  in 
the  never-relinquished  hope  of  influencing  European  opinion.  On 
reaching  New  York,  when  the  cause  he  loved  was  lost,  the  staunch 
friendship  of  Richard  Henry  Stoddard  and  the  appreciation  of  Will- 
iam Cullen  Bryant  found  him  congenial  work  on  ."  The  Post."  But 
the  sensitive  spirit  was  broken ;  a  few  brief  years  saw  the  end,  and 
only  a  green  memory  is  left  to  those  who  loved,  even  without  know- 
ing, the  purest  southern  poet. 

From  the  roof  of  the  Capitol  is  had  the  finest  view  of  Richmond, 
the  surrounding  country  lying  like  a  map  for  a  radius  of  twenty  miles. 
Only  from  this  bird's-eye  view  can  a  perfect  idea  be  gained  of  the 
elevation  of  the  city,  perched  above  a  rolling  country — its  stretches 
of  meadowiand  below  cut  by  the  valley  of  the  James;  the  river  steal- 
ing in  sluggish,  molten  silver  through  it,  or  heaving  up  inland  into 


Four  Years  in  Rebel  Capitals.  89 

bold,  tree-bearded  hills,  high  enough  to  take  the  light  from  the  clouds 
on  their  tops,  as  a  halo.  Far  northward  alternate  swells  of  light  and 
depressions  of  shadow  among  the  hills ;  the  far-off  horizon  making  a 
girdle  of  purple  light,  blended  into  the  blue  of  undefined  woods.  On 
clear  days,  a  splendid  ozone  fills  the  air  at  that  high  perch,  the  pict- 
ure having,  as  far  as  the  eye  can  travel,  stereoscopic  clearness. 

Immediately  beneath  lies  the  Square ;  its  winding  walks,  rare  old 
trees  and  rich  sweep  of  sod  filled  with  children,  so  full  of  enjoy- 
ment that  one  is  half-minded  to  drop  down  and  roll  over  the  grass 
with  them.  On  the  central  walk,  midway  between  the  Capitol  and  St. 
Paul's  church,  stands  Crawford's  equestrian  Washington  in  bronze, 
resting  upon  a  circular  base  and  pedestal  of  plain  granite,  in  which 
are  bases  for  statues  of  the  mighty  Virginians  of  the  past.  Only  the 
three  southern  ones  were  now  occupied ;  but  those  figures — Jefferson, 
Mason  and  Henry — were  accepted  as  surpassing  in  merit  the  cen- 
tral work.  The  Washington  is  imposing  in  size  and  position,  but  its 
art  is  open  to  criticism.  The  horse  is  exaggeration  of  pose  and 
muscle ;  being  equally  strained,  though  not  rampant,  as  that  inoppor- 
tune charger  on  which  Clark  Mills  perched  General  Jackson,  at  the 
national  Capital.  Nor  is  this  "first  in  peace"  by  any  means  "the 
first"  on  horseback;  the  figure  being  theatric  rather  than  dignified, 
and  the  extended  arm  more  gymnastic  than  statuesque. 

An  irate  senator  once  told  the  august  body  he  addressed  that  it 
was  a  warning  to  them — "pointing  straight  to  the  penitentiary!" 
So,  as  a  whole,  the  group,  if  not  thoroughly  classic,  may  be  admirably 
useful. 

From  Capitol  Square,  open,  wide  streets — neatly  built  up  and 
meeting  each  other  at  right  angles — stretch  away  on  all  sides;  an 
occasional  spire  or  dome,  and  frequent  houses  larger  than  the  rest, 
breaking  the  monotony.  Below,  toward  the  river,  lie  the  basins,  docks 
and  rows  of  warehouses :  and  further  still  is  the  landing,  "Rockett's," 
the  head  of  river  navigation,  above  which  no  vessels  of  any  size  can 
come.  Just  under  the  Capitol — to  the  East — stands  the  governor's 
house,  a  plain,  substantial  mansion  of  the  olden  time,  embosomed  in 
trees  and  flower-beds.  Further  off,  in  the  same  line,  rise  the  red  and 
ragged  slopes  of  Church  Hill.  It  takes  its  name  from  the  old  church 
in  which  Patrick  Henry  made  his  celebrated  speech — a  structure  still 
in  pretty  good  preservation.  And  still  further  away — opposite  the 


90  Four  Years  in  Rebel  Capitals. 

vanishing  point  of  the  water  view — are  seen  the  green  tops  of  Chim- 
borazo  Heights  and  Howard's  Grove — hospital  sites,  whose  names 
have  been  graven  upon  the  hearts  of  all  southern  people  by  the  mor- 
dant of  sorrow! 

Just  across  the  river,  to  the  South,  the  white  and  scattered  village 
of  Manchester  is  prettily  relieved  against  the  green  slopes  on  which 
it  sits.  There  the  bridge  cuts  the  shining  chafe  of  the  river  like  a 
black  wire ;  and  just  under  it,  the  wind  sighs  softly  in  the  treetops 
of  Belle  Isle,  afterward  to  become  so  famous  in  the  newspaper  annals 
of  the  North,  as  a  prison  for  the  Union  soldiers  captured  in  the  long 
struggle  for  the  city. 

Far  to  the  west,  higher  shafts  of  Hollywood  Cemetery  gleam 
among  the  trees ;  and  the  rapids,  dancing  down  in  the  sunlight,  break 
away  into  a  broader  sheet  of  foam  around  its  point.  Except,  per- 
haps, "Bonnie  Venture"  (fiuona  Ventura),  at  Savannah,  there  is  no 
site  for  a  cemetery  in  the  South,  naturally  so  picturesque  and  at  the 
same  time  solemn,  as  this.  Rising  from  comparatively  level  ground 
in  the  rear,  it  swells  and  undulates  in  a  series  of  gentle  hills  to  the 
river,  that  embraces  it  on  three  sides.  Rows  of  magnificent  old  trees 
in  many  places  arch  quite  across  the  walk — giving,  even  at  midday, 
a  half-twilight — and  the  sigh  of  the  river  breeze  in  their  tops,  ming- 
ling with  the  constant  roar  of  the  rapids,  seems  to  sing  a  Te  Deum 
for  the  dead.  The  graves  are  simple  and  unpretending — only  an 
occasional  column  of  any  prominence  rearing  itself  above  the  hum- 
bler surroundings. 

On  a  hill — just  behind  the  point  where  the  river  curves  round  the 
extreme  point — rest  the  ashes  of  Monroe,  enclosed  in  a  large  and 
ornate  mausoleum,  where  they  were  laid  when  escorted  south  by  the 
New  York  Seventh  Regiment.  That  escort  was  treated  with  all  the 
generous  hospitality  Virginia  can  so  well  use  ;  and  numerous  and 
deep  were  the  oaths  of  amity  between  the  citizen-soldiers.  Though 
the  Seventh  were  not  notoriously  deadly,  in  the  war  that  followed, 
only  the  shortest  of  memories — or,  indeed,  the  most  glowing  of  patri- 
otism— could  have  erased  the  brother-love,  then  and  there  bumpered 
down ! 

Under  the  hills  of  the  cemetery — the  dirty,  dull  canal  creeping 
between  them — stand  the  buildings,  dam  and  powerful  pumps  of  the 
water  service ;  ordinarily  more  than  adequate  for  all  uses.  Usually, 


Four  Years  in  Rebel  Capitals.  91 

the  water  was  pure   and  clear ;    but  when  heavy  rains  washed    the 
river  lands,  the   "  noble  Jeems  "   rushed  by  with  an  unsavory  and 
dingy  current,  that  might  have  shamed  the  yellow  Tiber  and  rivaled 
the  Nile   itself.     Sometimes    the  weary  and  worn  patriot  took  his 
whisky  and  mud,  thick  enough  to  demand  a  fork ;  and  for  days 
"The  water  is  muddy  and  dank 
As  ever  a  company  pumped." 

The  outskirts  of  Richmond  are  belted  by  bold  crests,  near  enough 
together  to  form  a  chain  of  natural  forts.  These  were  now  fortifying ; 
the  son  of  wealth,  the  son  of  Erin  and  the  son  of  Ham  laboring  in 
perspiration  and  in  peace  side  by  side.  Later  these  forts  did  good 
turn,  during  cavalry  raids,  when  the  city  was  uncovered  and  the  gar- 
rison but  nominal. 

Gamble's  hill,  a  pretty  but  steep  slope,  cuts  the  river  west  of  the 
bridge.  Rising  above  its  curves,  from  the  Capitol  view-point,  are  the 
slate-roofed  Tredegar  Works ;  their  tall  chimneys  puffing  endless  black 
smoke  against  the  sunshine,  which  reflects  it,  a  livid  green,  upon  the 
white  foam  of  the  rapids.  So  potent  a  factor  in  the  aggressive  power 
of  the  Confederacy  was  this  foundry  that  it  overtopped  the  regular 
government  agencies.  When  the  war  began,  this  was  the  only  roll- 
ing-mill of  great  capacity,  of  which  the  South  could  boast ;  the  only 
one,  indeed,  capable  of  casting  heavy  guns.  Almost  the  first  deci- 
sive act  of  Virginia  was  to  prevent,  by  seizure,  the  delivery  to  United 
States  officers  of  some  guns  cast  for  them  by  the  Tredegar  Works ; 
and,  from  that  day,  there  were  no  more  earnest  and  energetic  work- 
ers for  the  cause  of  southern  independence  than  the  firm  of  Jos.  R. 
Anderson  &  Co.  It  was  said,  at  this  time,  that  the  firm  was  in  finan- 
cial straits.  But  it  thrived  so  well  on  government  patronage — spite 
of  sundry  boards  to  consider  if  army  and  navy  work  was  not 
paid  for  at  ruinously  low  rates — that  it  greatly  increased  in  size ; 
added  to  its  utility  by  importations  of  costly  machinery,  through  the 
blockade ;  stood  loss  of  one-third  of  its  buildings,  by  fire ;  used  a 
ship  of  its  own  for  importation ;  and,  at  the  close  of  the  struggle,  was 
in  better  condition  than  at  the  commencement.  The  senior  partner 
was,  for  a  time,  in  the  field  at  head  of  his  brigade ;  but  affairs  were 
so  well  managed,  in  the  interval,  by  the  Messrs.  Tanner — father  and 
son,  who  were  partners  with  General  Anderson — that  his  absence  was 
not  appreciable  in  the  work. 


92  Four  Years  in  Rebel  Capitals. 

It  was  at  the  Tredegar  Works  that  the  famous  "  Brooke  gun" — a 
rifled  7-inch — was  cast,  tested  and  perfected.  Here  the  plates  for 
the  iron-clads,  in  almost  all  southern  waters,  were  rolled  or  made 
ready  for  use.  Here  heavy  ordnance  for  the  forts  was  cast,  together 
with  shells  and  shot ;  and  here  the  torpedoes — sometimes  so  effect- 
ive, and  usually  so  useless — were  contrived  and  made.  Indeed,  the 
Tredegar  Works  so  greatly  aided  the  Confederacy,  that  the  lengthen- 
ing of  the  war  may  be,  in  large  measure,  attributed  to  their  capacity, 
and  to  the  able  zeal  with  which  they  were  managed. 

So  great  and  effective  an  agent  could  not  fail  to  receive,  from  the 
Richmond  government,  every  aid  in  obtainance  of  supplies,  labor 
and  transportation.  ' '  The  Works  "  had  mines,  mills  and  pork-pack- 
eries  in  various  sections  of  the  South ;  thus  obtaining  coal  and  metals, 
as  well  as  food — at  reduced  rates,  within  reach  of  their  wages — for 
an  army  of  employes.  So  great  was  the  necessary  number  of  these — 
whites,  skilled  in  labor — that  even  closest  conscription  left  the  junior 
of  the  firm  a  full  battalion  of  infantry.  This,  drilled  and  equipped 
from  his  own  shops,  Major  Tanner  led  in  person,  when  raids  or  other 
straits  made  their  soldiering  paramount  to  other  occupation.  And — 
even  when  greatest  scarcity  of  provisions  came — the  agents  of  "  the 
Works  "  proceeded  with  those  of  the  commissary  of  the  Confederacy, 
pari passu, 

An  odd  incident,  coming  to  mind  just  here,  will  point  the  general 
estimate  of  the  importance  of  the  Tredegar  Works.  A  special  train 
was  crossing  the  bridge,  en  route  for  Petersburg,  at  a  time  when  trans- 
portation was  rare.  A  huge  negro,  blacker  than  the  soot  upon  his 
face,  sat  placidly  on  the  platform  of  the  rear  car. 

"What  are  you  doing  here?"  was  asked  by  the  officer  in  charge. 

"Rid'n'  t'  Petesbug,"  was  the  placid  reply. 

"  Have  you  paid  your  fare  ?" 

"  Don'  got  nun  t'  pay,  boss.     Rides  onner  pass,  I  does!" 

"  Work  for  the  government?" — this  rather  impatiently. 

Ebo  rolled  his  eyes,  with  expression  of  deep  disgust,  as  he  re- 
ponded,  grandly: 

"  No — sah  !     Fur  t'uther  consarn  ! " 


Four  Years  in  Rebel  Capitals.  93 


CHAPTER  XII. 

SETTLING   TO   THE    REAL   WORK. 

Notwithstanding  the  haste  of  removal  from  Montgomery,  the  vast 
amount  of  work  to  be  reduced  to  regular  order,  and  the  apparent 
confusion  of  the  executive  departments,  affairs  rapidly  shaped  them- 
selves into  working  form  soon  after  the  arrival  in  Richmond. 

That  city,  as  the  terminus  of  railway  travel  from  the  South  and  West, 
was  naturally  the  rendezvous  for  all  troops  coming  from  the  various 
quarters  of  the  Confederacy ;  and,  at  the  date  of  the  change  of  gov- 
ernment, some  fifteen  thousand  were  already  collected  in  the  camps 
about  the  town.  These  comprised  levies  from  every  section  of  the 
ten  states  that  had  adhered  to  the  southern  government — regulars, 
volunteers  and  militia  and  of  all  arms. 

South  Carolina  and  Louisiana  had  immediately  on  their  secession 
organized  regular  armies,  on  a  more  perfect  and  permanent  basis  than 
their  sister  states,  and  had  garrisoned  their  forts — and  points  then 
supposed  most  vulnerable — with  them.  The  call  of  the  Confederate 
Government  for  more  troops  had  not  interfered  with  these  organiza- 
tions, but  had  brought  into  the  field  new  material  in  the  shape  of 
volunteer  regiments  and  battalions  of  cavalry,  artillery  and  infantry. 

While,  as  a  general  thing,  the  rank  and  file  of  the  state  regulars 
were  composed  of  the  laboring  classes,  foreigners  and  the  usual  use- 
less and  floating  portion  of  their  populations,  officered  by  gentlemen 
of  better  position  and  education,  appointed  by  the  governors,  the 
volunteers  had  in  their  ranks  men  of  all  conditions,  from  the  hum- 
blest laborer  to  the  scholar,  the  banker  and  the  priest. 

They  were  commanded  by  men  they  themselves  elected,  as  being 
the  most  competent  and  acceptable,  either  by  reason  of  greater  abil- 
ity, or  military  education. 

Upon  the  action  of  her  convention,  Virginia  was  found  to  have 
been  in  nowise  behind  the  other  states  in  her  preparations.  In  fact, 
she  had  anticipated  its  somewhat  tardy  movement  and  had  marshaled 
into  order  an  array  of  her  stout  yeomanry  that  was  in  itself  no  con- 
temptible army.  When  she  joined  the  Confederacy,  she  offered  to  its 


94  Four  Years  in  Rebel  Capitals. 

acceptance  over  twenty  full  regiments,  and  parts  of  others  sufficient 
to  make  eight  or  ten  more. 

Almost  all  the  officers  of  the  United  States  Army  and  Navy,  from 
her  borders,  had  promptly  resigned  and  tendered  their  swords  and 
services  to  her  governor.  Robert  E.  Lee — with  his  great  family  influ- 
ence and  connection — Joseph  E.  Johnston,  Magruder,  Stuart,  and  a 
host  of  others  whose  names  shine  bright  in  the  annals  of  war,  had 
even  anticipated  the  formal  act  of  secession ;  and  its  passage  found 
them  busily  working,  with  any  rank  and  in  any  way  that  could  best 
conduce  to  the  good  of  the  state.  With  their  aid,  Virginia,  too,  had 
organized  a  regular  army;  and,  feeling  the  necessity  for  prompt 
action  to  be  imminent,  had  armed,  drilled  and  equipped  it  to  the  limit 
of  her  straightened  means ;  and  had  already  begun  to  put  her  frontiers 
into  a  state  of  defense. 

General  Lee  was  made  commander-in-chief,  and  the  flower  of 
Virginia,  from  the  old  army,  were  made  generals  and  subordinate  offi- 
cers under  him. 

The  gentlemen  of  the  Old  Dominion  were  not  slow  to  show  a  good 
example  to  the  lower  classes.  Crack  companies  that  had  been  un- 
used to  any  more  dreadful  war  than  the  blank  cartridge  of  a  holiday 
pageant,  went  in  to  a  man;  whole  battalions  were  formed  from  which 
no  drop  of  blood  might  be  spilled,  that  did  not  flow  straight  from  one 
of  the  known  and  honored  of  her  history. 

Who  has  not  heard  of  the  First  Virginia  ?  a  name  that  brings  back 
the  grand  old  days  of  chivalric  devotion  and  doughty  deed !  WTho  in 
the  South  does  not  honor  it  ?  though  scarce  a  dozen  of  the  noble  hearts 
that  first  flocked  to  its  proud  banner  can  now  gather  round  the  grim 
and  shattered  old  lion,  who  bought  with  many  a  wound  in  front  the 
right  to  lead  it  to  the  fray.  And  "  Co.  F,"  in  whose  ranks  were  the 
brilliant  advocate,  the  skillful  surgeon,  the  man  of  letters  and  the 
smooth-faced  pet  of  the  Mayday  gathering — all  that  made  the 
pride,  the  boast  and  the  love  of  Richmond! 

The  beacon  had  been  lighted  on  the  mountain  top,  and  had 
gleamed  by  her  river  sides!  The  sturdy  hunter  from  the  West,  and 
the  dashing  horseman  from  the  East ;  the  merchant  at  his  till,  and 
the  farmer,  with  hard  hand  on  the  plough-handle — all  heard  the  voice 
of  the  bugle  and  answered  with  a  shout ! 

Men  of  all  classes — from  the  highest-born  and  richest  to  the  hum- 


Four  Years  in  Rebel  Capitals.  95 

blest  and  poorest — from  the  grandsire  with  his  flint-lock  to  the  sunny- 
haired  stripling  scarcely  in  his  teens — with  one  accord 

" Came  forth  at  the  call 

With  the  rush  of  their  rivers  when  tempests  appall, 
And  the  torrents  their  sources  unseal ! " 

Thus,  when  the  Government  first  felt  that  Virginia  was  to  be  the 
battle-ground  and  decided  to  lash  its  fortunes  to  hers  amid  the  black 
billows  that  were  surging  around  it,  an  army  was  already  in  the  field ; 
partially  armed,  already  somewhat  proficient  in  drill  and  learning,  by 
the  discipline  of  camp  and  bivouac,  to  prepare  for  the  stern  realities 
of  war. 

In  many  instances,  the  posting  of  their  regulars  by  the  respective 
state  governments  had  been  considered  so  judicious,  that  the  War  De- 
partment made  no  change;  as,  for  instance,  in  garrisoning  the  forts  in 
Charleston  harbor  by  the  South  Carolina  Regular  Artillery,  and  those 
at  New  Orleans  by  the  ist  and  2d  Louisiana  Regulars.  But  after  the 
necessary  garrison  had  been  left  in  the  most  exposed  points,  every 
available  man  was  ordered  to  Virginia.  Here  the  work  of  organization 
went  on  with  a  smoothness  and  regularity  scarcely  to  have  been  looked 
for.  Occasionally  a  hitch  occurred  that  threatened  to  get  the  threads 
of  preparation  into  an  ugly  knot ;  but  it  was  ever  unraveled  without 
the  Gordian  treatment. 

Fresh  troops  from  every  quarter  were  collecting  rapidly.  First 
came  Gregg's  regiment  of  South  Carolinians ;  and  they  were  met 
with  open  arms  by  the  Virginians,  soldiery  and  citizens.  They  re- 
ceived the  first  gush  of  the  new  brotherhood  of  defiance  and  of  dan- 
ger ;  and  their  camp — constantly  visited  by  the  ladies  and  even  chil- 
dren of  Richmond — had  more  the  air  of  a  picnic  than  of  a  bivouac. 
Many  of  the  men  and  most  of  the  officers  in  the  First  Carolina  bore 

"  Names, 
Familiar  in  their  mouths  as  household  words." 

They  were  descendants  from  that  other  revolution,  the  political  cele- 
brities, or  the  watering-place  beaux;  and  the  houses  of  Richmond 
were  opened  to  them  at  once.  Dinners,  parties  and  rides  were  im- 
provised, and  the  first  comers  were  voted,  especially  by  the  ladies,  a 
"  joy  forever. "  Gradually,  as  regiment  after  regiment  marched  in 
and  the  city  filled  to  overflowing  with  the  still  welcome  strangers,  the 
novelty  wore  off;  and,  though  the  feeling  of  fellowship  and  kindli- 


96  Four  Years  in  Rebel  Capitals. 

ness  was  just  as  strong,  the  citizens  found  that  their  hearts  were  larger 
than  their  houses,  and  that  even  Virginia  hospitality  must  have  a 
limit.  Varied,  indeed,  were  the  forms  one  met  on  every  street  and  road 
about  Richmond.  Here  the  long-haired  Texan,  sitting  his  horse  like  a 
centaur,  with  high-peaked  saddle  and  jingling  spurs,  dashed  by — a  pict- 
ured guacho.  There  the  western  mountaineer,  with  bearskin  shirt, 
fringed  leggings,  and  the  long,  deadly  rifle,  carried  one  back  to  the 
days  of  Boone  and  the  ' '  dark  and  bloody  ground."  The  dirty  gray  and 
tarnished  silver  of  the  muddy-complexioned  Carolinian;  the  dingy  but- 
ternut of  the  lank,  muscular  Georgian,  with  its  green  trimming  and 
full  skirts ;  and  the  Alabamians  from  the  coast,  nearly  all  in  blue  of 
a  cleaner  hue  and  neater  cut ;  while  the  Louisiana  troops  were,  as  a 
general  thing,  better  equipped  and  more  regularly  uniformed  than 
any  others  in  the  motley  throng. 

But  the  most  remarked  dress  that  flashed  among  these  varied  uni- 
forms was  the  blue-and-orange  of  the  Maryland  Zouaves.  At  the 
time  of  the  riot  of  the  ipth  of  April,  there  had  just  been  perfected  a 
splendid  organization  of  the  younger  gentlemen  of  the  Monumental 
City — a  veritable  corps  d'  ilite — known  as  the  "  Maryland  Guard."  It 
was  as  remarkable  for  excellence  of  discipline  and  perfection  of  equip- 
ment, as  for  containing  the  very  best  blood  of  the  city;  and,  though 
taking  no  part — as  an  organization — in  the  riot,  it  was  immediately 
afterward  put  by  its  officers  at  the  disposal  of  the  Baltimore  authori- 
ties. 

When  it  became  apparent  that  Maryland  could  take  no  active 
part  in  the  struggle,  many  members  of  this  corps  promptly  left  the 
luxuries  of  their  homes,  their  early  associations,  and  even  the  very 
means  of  livelihood,  to  go  south  and  battle  for  the  principles  they 
held.  They  unhesitatingly  expatriated  themselves,  and  gave  up  all 
they  held  dear — except  honor — to  range  themselves  under  that  flag 
for  which  they  had  declared.  Many  of  them  had  been  born  and 
reared  southerners — many  had  only  the  chivalric  intention  to  fight  for 
the  cause  they  felt  right.  Their  sympathies  all  went  with  the  South, 
and  their  blood  leaped  to  help  her  in  this  her  hour  of  sore  trial. 

Was  it  strange  that  the  generous  Virginian  should  have  opened  his 
arms  to  give  these  men  the  embrace  of  fellowship  and  brotherhood ; 
that  they  should  have  been  honored  guests  at  every  hospitable  board ; 
that  bright  eyes  should  have  glanced  brighter  at  a  glimpse  of  the 
orange  and  blue  ? 


Four  Years  in  Rebel  Capitals.  97 

Much  has  been  said  and  much  written  of  the  Marylanders  in  the 
South ;  of  their  demoralized  condition,  their  speculative  tendencies, 
and  their  wild  dissipations.  Not  a  few  of  them  came  for  plunder — 
some  left  their  country  for  their  country's  good: — but  in  the  veins  of 
such  only  a  muddy  current  ran !  Where  the  Maryland  gentleman 
was  found  on  the  stranger  soil,  it  was  musket  in  hand,  battling  for 
it;  and  so  well  was  his  devoir  done,  that  he  rapidly  changed  the 
bayonet  for  the  sword  ;  and  more  than  one  general,  whose  name  will 
live  in  the  South,  came  from  their  number. 

Almost  all  the  soldiery  wore  the  broad,  soft  slouch,  in  place  of  the 
more  military,  but  less  comfortable,  kepi.  There  was  something  about 
it  characteristic  of  the  race — it  seemed  to  suit  exactly  the  free,  care- 
less port  of  the  men — and  it  was  equally  useful  as  a  protection  from 
the  fierce  June  sun,  or  beating  rain,  and  as  a  night-cap. 

Arms,  too,  were  as  varied  as  the  uniforms.  Many  whole  regi- 
ments were  armed  with  the  Belgian  or  Springfield  musket — light,  and 
carrying  a  large  ball  an  immense  distance;  others  had  only  the  Mis- 
sissippi rifle";  while  some  again  sported  a  mixture  of  rifles,  muskets 
and  shot-guns.  The  greatest  variety  was  in  the  cavalry — if  such  it 
could  be  called.  Men  accustomed  from  infancy  to  the  saddle  and 
the  rifle  had  seized  whatever  weapon  they  were  possessed  of;  and 
more  at  home  on  horseback  than  on  foot,  they  were,  no  doubt,  ugly 
enemies  in  a  bush  fight,  or  an  ambuscade.  Many  whole  companies 
had  no  sabers  but  those  their  officers  carried,  and  the  very  individ- 
uality and  self-reliance  of  the  men  acted  as  an  invincible  opponent  to 
drill  and  discipline.  Mounted  on  horses  of  all  sizes  and  colors; 
equipped  with  all  varieties  of  trappings ;  and  carrying  slung  at  their 
backs  every  known  game-killer — from  rifle  to  duck  gun — they  would 
have  been  a  strange  picture  to  the  European  officer  to  which  their 
splendid  horsemanship  and  lithe,  agile  figures  could  have  added  no 
varnish  to  make  him  believe  them  cavalry. 

But  every  man  you  met,  mounted  or  footman,  carried  in  his  belt 
the  broad,  straight,  double-edged  bowie-knife,  useful  alike  for  war- 
like, or  culinary  purposes ;  and  few,  indeed,  did  not  balance  it  with 
the  revolver.  In  some  of  the  crack  corps  this  was  strictly  prohib- 
ited ;  for  the  difficulty  has  ever  been  in  armies  to  teach  the  men  to 
use  efficiently  the  one  weapon  belonging  to  them ;  and  that  there  is  no 
safety  in  a  multitude. 
7 


98  Four  Years  in  Rebel  Capitals. 

Long  before  the  first  scene  of  the  bloody  drama  was  done — and 
stern  realities  had  taken  the  gilt  from  the  pomp  and  circumstance  of 
war — the  actors  had  cast  aside  all  the  "  properties  "  they  did  not  ab- 
solutely need.  The  exhaustion  of  their  first  few  battles,  or  a  couple 
of  Jackson's  marches,  taught  them  that  in  this  race  for  life  and  limb, 
there  was  no  need  to  carry  extra  weight.  I  constantly  had  brought 
to  mind  the  anecdote  of  the  Crimean  Zouaves,  about  to  charge  a  re- 
dan, who  answered  their  officer's  query  as  to  the  number  of  cartridges 
they  had  by  tapping  their  saber  bayonets. 

The  arriving  regiments  were  inspected,  mustered  into  the  Confed- 
erate service  and  drilled  by  competent  officers  ;  vacancies  were  filled ; 
and  such  wanting  equipments,  as  could  be  supplied,  bestowed  upon 
them.  They  were  then  brigaded,  and  after  time  enough  to  become 
accustomed  to  their  commanders  and  to  each  other,  were  forwarded 
to  points  where,  at  the  moment,  troops  appeared  most  needed. 

The  three  points  in  Virginia,  considered  as  vital,  were  the  Penin- 
sula, formed  by  the  James  and  York  rivers,  Norfolk,  and  the  open 
country  around  and  about  Orange  Courthouse  to  the  Potomac. 
Fortress  Monroe  impregnable  to  assault,  by  the  land  side,  and  so 
easily  provisioned  and  garrisoned  by  sea,  was  looked  upon  as  the  most 
dangerous  neighbor.  From  its  walls,  the  legions  of  the  North  might, 
at  any  moment,  swoop  down  upon  the  unprotected  country  around  it 
and  establish  a  foothold,  from  which  it  would  be  hard  to  dislodge 
them,  as  at  Newport's  News.  Its  propinquity  to  Norfolk,  together 
with  the  vast  preponderance  of  the  United  States  in  naval  power, 
made  an  attack  upon  that  place  the  most  reasonable  supposition. 
The  State  of  Virginia  had  already  put  it  in  as  good  defense  as  the 
time  permitted.  General  Huger,  a  distinguished  officer  of  Ordnance 
from  the  U.  S.  service,  had  at  once  been  sent  there  ;  and  his  prepara- 
tions had  been  such  that  an  unfinished  earth  work,  at  Sewell's  Point, 
stood  for  four  hours,  on  the  i9th  of  May,  the  bombardment  of  the  U. 
S.  ships  "Minnesota"  and  "  Monticello." 

The  Confederate  War  Department  felt  such  confidence  in  the  en- 
gineering and  administrative  ability  of  General  Huger,  that  it  endorsed 
the  action  of  Virginia  by  giving  him  a  brigadier's  commission  and  in- 
structions to  put  Norfolk  and  the  avenues  of  its  approach  in  complete 
state  of  defense.  A  sufficient  garrison  of  picked  troops — among  them 
the  Third  Alabama  and  some  of  the  best  Richmond  companies — was 
given  him ;  and  Norfolk  was  soon  declared  securely  fortified. 


Four   Years  in  Rebel  Capitals.  99 

The  Peninsula  was  even  more  exposed  to  land  attack  from  Fortress 
Monroe ;  and  General  John  B.  Magruder  had  been  sent  there  with  a 
part  of  the  Virginia  army,  with  headquarters  at  Yorktown.  General 
Magruder  had  long  been  a  well-known  officer  of  the  U.  S.  Army, 
where  his  personal  popularity  and  a  certain  magnificence  of  manner 
had  gained  him  the  sobriquet  of  "Prince  John."  He  possessed 
energy  and  dash  in  no  mean  degree ;  and  on  arriving  at  his  sphere  of 
duty,  strained  every  nerve  to  put  the  Peninsula  in  a  state  of  defense. 
His  work,  too,  was  approved  by  the  Confederate  War  Department  j 
the  commission  of  brigadier  conferred  upon  him,  and  re-enforcements 
— sufficient  in  its  judgment,  though  not  in  his — were  sent  at  once  to 
his  command. 

While  Fortress  Monroe  threatened  the  safety  of  Norfolk,  and,  by 
the  Peninsula  of  the  lower  approaches  to  Richmond,  Alexandria 
could  hold  a  formidable  army,  ready  at  any  moment  to  swoop  down 
by  the  upper  and  more  accessible  approaches  around  Orange  Court- 
house. The  occupation  of  Alexandria  by  the  Union  forces  on  the 
24th  of  May  was  looked  upon  by  Confederate  leaders  as  the  most 
decided  act  of  war  yet  ventured  upon  by  their  wary  adversary. 
Whatever  may  have  been  done  within  the  non-seceded  states,  the  South 
deluded  herself  that  it  was  simply  an  exposition  of  the  power  of  the 
government — a  sort  of  Chinese  warfare  of  gongs  and  tom-toms. 
The  passage  of  the  Potomac  and  seizure  of  a  city  under  the  aegis  of 
the  Confederate  Government  was  actually  crossing  the  Rubicon  and 
carrying  the  war  directly  into  the  southern  territory.  Fortress  Monroe 
and  other  fortified  points  still  held  by  the  United  States,  in  the  South, 
were  conceded  to  be  in  a  measure  hers,  at  least  by  the  right  of  pos- 
session ;  but  Alexandria  was  considered  part  and  parcel  of  the  Con- 
federacy, and  as  such  sacred  from  invasion.  Hence  no  means  were 
taken  to  prevent  its  occupation.  On  Virginia  soil — many  of  its  citi- 
zens already  in  the  rebel  ranks,  and  its  houses  a  rendezvous  for  the 
cavalry  of  the  Virginia  army,  its  seizure  was  construed  to  mean  real 
invasion. 

The  possession  of  this  key  to  the  land  approaches  of  Richmond ; 
its  great  facilities  of  re-enforcement  and  supply  by  propinquity  to  the 
depots  at  Washington  and  elsewhere ;  and  the  determined  intention  of 
the  Federals  to  hold  and  use  it,  could  not  be  misunderstood. 

And  while  the  Southern  Government  felt  the  advantages  its  posses- 


ioo  Four  Years  in  Rebel  Capitals. 

sion  gave  the  Union  troops  for  concentrating  and  advancing,  the  peo- 
ple were  aroused  to  a  pitch  of  high  indignation  by  the  choice  of  the 
troops  sent  to  first  invade  their  soil. 

The  war,  too,  was  yet  young  enough  to  leave  all  the  romance 
about  it ;  scenes  of  violence  were  as  yet  rare ;  and  the  death  of  Jack- 
son, with  the  circumstances  attending  it,  caused  a  deep  and  general 
feeling  of  bitterness.  While  the  southern  public  opened  its  arms  and 
took  to  its  sympathy  and  protection  the  widow  and  orphans  of  the 
first  Virginian  whose  blood  was  shed  in  her  cause,  many  and  bitter 
were  the  vows  made  around  the  bivouac  to  avenge  his  untimely  end. 
The  men  who  made  the  grim  vow  were  of  the  stuff  to  keep  it;  the 
name  of  "Jackson,  the  Martyr,"  became  a  war-cry,  and  the  bloody 
tracks  of  Manassas 

"  How  that  oath  was  kept  can  tell !  " 

On  the  23d  of  May,  Joseph  E.  Johnston  received  his  commission 
as  General  in  the  Regular  Army,  and  went  to  Harper's  Ferry  in 
command  of  all  troops  in  that  region — known  as  the  Army  of  the 
Shenandoah.  Beauregard,  with  the  same  grade,  was  recalled  on  his 
way  to  the  West,  and  sent  to  command  at  Manassas. 

From  the  great  ease  of  putting  troops  across  the  fords  of  the  Poto- 
mac into  Virginia,  it  was  considered  necessary  to  concentrate,  at 
points  from  which  they  could  be  easily  shifted,  a  sufficient  reliable 
force  to  meet  any  such  movement ;  and  the  two  officers  in  whom  the 
government  had  greatest  confidence  as  tacticians,  were  sent  to  watch 
for  and  checkmate  it. 

Meanwhile,  Missouri  had  risen,  the  governor  had  declared  the 
rights  of  the  State  infringed ;  and  the  movements  of  Generals  Lyon 
and  Blair — culminating  in  the  St.  Louis  riots  between  the  citizens  and 
the  Dutch  soldiery — had  put  an  end  to  all  semblance  of  neutrality. 
Governor  Jackson  moved  the  state  archives,  and  transferred  the  capi- 
tal from  Jefferson  City  to  Boonesville.  On  the  i3th  of  June  he  issued 
a  proclamation  calling  for  fifty  thousand  volunteers  to  defend  the 
State  of  Missouri  from  Federal  invasion ;  and  appointed  Sterling  Price 
a  major-general,  with  nine  brigadiers,  among  whom  were  Jeff 
Thompson,  Clark  and  Parsons.  Perhaps  no  state  went  into  open  re- 
sistance of  the  United  States  authority  as  unprepared  in  every  way  as 
Missouri.  Her  population  was  scattered ;  one-half  Union,  and  utterly 
ignorant  of  drill,  discipline,  or  any  of  the  arts  of  war.  They  were, 


Four  Years  in  Rebel  Capitals.  101 

besides,  perfectly  unarmed,  except  with  their  hunting  pieces,  and  the 
state  Capital,  the  arsenals  and  all  the  larger  towns  were  in  possession 
of  the  Union  troops.  These  laughed  at  the  attempt  of  Missouri  to 
shake  off  the  grasp  of  the  government,  and  their  generals  boldly  pro- 
claimed that  "she  was  under  the  paws  of  the  lion,  and  her  first  move- 
ment would  cause  them  to  close  and  crush  her  life  out." 

Still,  Price,  seconded  by  his  brigadiers,  went  to  work  with  great 
activity  to  collect  their  scattered  adherents  and  put  them  into  form. 
In  a  country  held  by  superior  forces,  with  communications  cut  up  and 
no  means  of  information,  the  task  was  Herculean,  indeed.  Yet  they 
endeavored  by  zeal  and  energy  to  make  amends  for  these  deficiencies 
and  for  the  want  of  supplies.  Price's  name  was  a  tower  of  strength 
in  itself;  his  hardy  compatriots  flocked  around  him,  and  nearly  every 
day  there  were  collisions  between  them  and  the  United  States  troops. 
These  skirmishes,  though  unimportant  in  themselves,  gave  the  new 
soldiers  lessons  in  war ;  and  not  infrequently  added  to  their  scanty 
stock  of  arms  and  equipments.  They  were  but  the  first  dashes  in  the 
grand  tableaux  of  war  that  Price  was  yet  to  hew,  with  the  bold  hand 
of  a  master,  from  the  crude  mass  of  material  alone  in  his  power  to 
use. 


IO2  Four  Years  in  Rebel  Capitals. 


CHAPTER  XIII. 

THE   LEADERS   AND  THE   LED. 

Thus  much  of  detail  arranged,  General  Lee  was,  for  the  pres- 
ent, detained  in  Richmond  by  the  President,  as  consulting  and  organ- 
izing officer;  and  to  aid  the  Adjutant-General — Samuel  Cooper,  senior 
general  of  the  five — in  the  location  of  armies,  distribution  of  troops, 
and  assignment  of  officers.  General  Lee's  perfect  knowledge  of  the 
materiel  si  the  Virginia  army  and  of  the  topographical  features  of  the 
state,  peculiarly  fitted  him  for  this  work ;  but  every  step  was  taken 
subject  to  the  decision  of  Mr.  Davis  himself.  The  appointments  of 
officers,  the  distribution  of  troops — in  fact,  the  minutiae  of  the  War 
Department — were  managed  by  him  in  person. 

He  seemed  fully  alive  to  the  vital  importance  of  making  the 
groundwork  of  the  military  system  solid  and  smooth.  Real  prepara^ 
tions  had  begun  so  late  that  only  the  strong  hand  could  now  avail; 
and  though  Mr.  Walker  still  held  the  empty  portfolio  of  the  secre- 
taryship, he,  and  the  army,  and  the  country  knew  who,  in  fact,  did 
the  work.  But  to  do  Mr.  Davis  justice,  he  did  not  make  \i\sfantoccim 
suffer  if  he  pulled  the  wires  the  wrong  way.  He  was  not  only  Presi- 
dent and  secretary  of  five  departments — which  naturally  caused  some 
errors ;  but  that  spice  of  the  dictator  in  him  made  him  quite  willing 
to  shoulder  the  responsibilities  of  all  the  positions. 

Now,  as  in  Montgomery,  I  wondered  that  the  frail  body — that 
could  not  bend — did  not  break  beneath  the  load  of  anxiety  and 
bodily  labor  he  imposed  upon  it.  His  energy  and  industry  were 
untiring;  and  every  afternoon  the  declining  sun  found  him  in  the 
saddle,  inspecting  and  reviewing  the  troops,  at  one  of  the  many 
camps  near  town.  Sometimes  the  hard,  stolid  face  of  the  Postmas- 
ter-General appeared  at  his  side;  again  Senator  Wigfall  galloped 
along,  with  his  pants  stuck  in  his  boots  and  seeming  to  enjoy  the 
saddle  much  more  than  the  curule  chair;  and  often  "Little  Jeff" — 
the  Benjamin  of  Mr.  Davis'  household — trotted  at  his  side.  But 
there  was  never  a  suite,  seldom  a  courier;  and  wherever  he  went. 


Four  Years  in  Rebel  Capitals.  103 

plain,  stirring  syllables  of  cheer — and  strong,  grave  words  of  incen- 
tive— dropped  from  his  lips  among  the  soldiery.  They  were  treas- 
ured as  the  truth,  too,  by  that  rough  auditory ;  for  as  yet,  Mr.  Davis 
was  in  the  zenith  of  his  popularity — a  perfect  idol  with  army  and 
people.  The  first  sight  of  the  tall,  erect  figure,  swaying  so  easily  to 
the  action  of  the  powerful  gray,  was  a  signal  for  the  wildest  cheers 
from  the  camps ;  and  the  people  in  the  streets  raised  their  hats  and 
stood  uncovered  while  the  representative  man  passed. 

Cavil,  jealousy  and  partisan  intrigue,  in  which  he  and  the  cause 
finally  went  down  together,  had  not  yet  done  their  work.  There 
were  many  murmurers  at  real,  many  growlers  at  supposed,  errors ;  but 
no  opposition  party — truer  to  itself  and  its  interests  than  to  the  cause 
— had  yet  been  organized  on  a  basis  strong  enough  to  defy  and  thwart 
"the  man." 

Every  one  connected  with  the  government  remarked  the  vast  dif- 
ference of  its  reception  by  the  Richmond  and  Montgomery  people. 
The  Alabamians  came  forward  with  decision  and  alacrity  to  offer  their 
lives  and  fortunes  to  the  cause.  They  made  any  sacrifices  to  the 
government,  as  such ;  but,  privately,  they  regarded  the  individuals 
connected  with  it  as  social  brigands  come  to  rob  their  society  of  all 
that  was  good  and  pure  in  it. 

Richmond,  on  the  contrary,  having  given  the  invitation,  made  the 
best  of  it  when  accepted.  The  people  united  in  sincere  effort  to  show 
a  whole-souled  hospitality  to  all  strangers  deserving  of  it.  Gentlemen 
in  the  government  were  received  with  frank  and  free-handed  kindness ; 
and  even  a  wretch,  who  had  wintered  in  the  shade  of  the  Washington 
upas,  was  allowed  to  flutter  about  and  not  be  gunned  for  by  the 
double-barreled  spectacles  of  every  respectable  dowager! 

Richmond  was  always  a  great  place  for  excitements ;  but  with  the 
great  addition  of  inflammable  material  recently,  it  required  but  a  very 
small  spark  to  raise  a  roaring,  if  not  dangerous,  flame. 

On  a  bright  Sunday  in  April,  when 

"  The  beams  of  God's  own  hallowed  day 

Had  painted  every  spire  with  gold, 
And,  calling  sinful  men  to  pray, 

Long,  loud  and  deep  the  bell  had  tolled  " — 

the  citizens  were  worshipping  quietly  and  a  peaceful  stillness  reigned 
everywhere.  Suddenly,  as  if  a  rocket  had  gone  up,  the  rumor  flew 


104'  Four  Years  in  Rebel  Capitals. 

from  mouth  to  mouth  that  the  "Pawnee"  was  steaming  up  the  river 
to  shell  the  city.  The  congregations,  not  waiting  to  be  dismissed, 
rushed  from  the  churches  with  a  single  impulse ;  the  alarm  bell  in  the 
Square  pealed  out  with  a  frightened  chime.  For  once,  even  the 
women  of  Richmond  were  alarmed.  The  whole  population  flocked 
toward  "  Rocketts  " — every  eye  strained  to  catch  a  first  glimpse  of 
the  terrible  monster  approaching  so  rapidly.  Old  and  young  men,  in 
Sunday  attire,  hastened  along  with  rusty  muskets  and  neat  "  Man- 
tons  "  on  their  shoulders ;  groups  of  bareheaded  ladies  were  at  the 
corners,  asking  the  news  and  repeating  every  fear-invented  tale;  and 
more  than  one  of  the  "solid  men''  was  seen  with  hand-baskets, 
loaded  with  rock,  to  dam  the  river!  Late  in  the  evening,  the  veter- 
ans of  six  hours  were  dismissed,  it  turning  out  that  there  was  no  cause 
whatever  for  the  alarm  ;  and  when  after  events  showed  them  that  vessel 
— so  battered  and  badgered  by  the  river  batteries — "  Pawnee  Sunday  " 
became  a  by-word  among  the  citizens. 

Richmond  was  not  cosmopolitan  in  her  habits  or  ideas,  and  there 
was,  in  some  quarters,  a  vague,  lingering  suspicion  as  to  the  result  of 
the  experiment ;  but  the  society  felt  that  the  government  was  its  guest, 
and  as  such  was  to  be  honored.  The  city  itself  was  a  small  one,  the 
society  was  general  and  provincial;  and  there  was  in  it  a  sort  of  broth- 
erly-love tone  that  struck  a  stranger,  at  first,  as  very  curious.  This 
Was,  in  a  great  measure,  attributable  to  the  fact  that  the  social  circle 
had  been  for  years  a  constant  quantity,  and  everybody  in  it  had 
known  everybody  else  since  childhood. 

The  men,  as  a  general  thing,  were  very  cordial  to  the  strangers, 
and  some  very  delightful  and  some  very  odd  acquaintances  were  made 
among  them.  Chief  among  the  latter  was  one,  whom  we  may  call — 
as  he  would  say  "  for  euphony" — WillWyatt;  the  most  perfect  speci- 
men of  the  genus  man-about-town  in  the  city.  He  was  very  young, 
with  wealth,  a  pleasing  exterior,  and  an  absolute  greed  for  society. 
His  naturally  good  mind  had  been  very  prettily  cultivated — by  himself 
rather  than  his  masters — and  he  had  traveled  just  enough  to  under- 
stand, without  despising,  the  weaknesses  of  his  compatriots.  He  and 
the  omniscient  Styles  were  fast  friends,  and  a  card  to  Wyatt,  signed 
"Fondly  thine  own,  S.  S.,"  had  done  the  business  for  me.  His 
house,  horses  and  friends  were  all  at  my  service ;  and  in  the  few  in- 
tervals that  anxiety  and  duty  left  for  ennui,  he  effectually  drove  the 
monster  off. 


Four  Years  in  Rebel  Capitals.  105 

"  I'm  devilish  sorry,  old  man,"  he  said,  one  day,  after  we  got  well 
acquainted,  "  that  there's  nothing  going  on  in  the  social  line.  Drop 
in  on  me  at  six,  to  dinner ;  and  I'll  show  you  a  clever  fellow  or  two, 
and  maybe  have  some  music.  You  understand,  my  dear  boy,  we 
don't  entertain  now.  After  all,  it's  so  late  in  the  season  there'd  be 
little  doing  in  peace  times;  but  this  infernal  war  has  smashed  us  up 
completely.  Getting  your  nose  red  taking  leave  of  your  tender  family 
is  the  only  style  they  vote  at  all  nobby  now — A  diner!" 

The  dinner  and  music  at  Wyatt's  were  not  warlike — and  particu- 
larly was  the  wine  not  of  that  description;  but  the  men  were.  Over 
cigars,  the  conversation  turned  upon  the  organization  of  the  army ; 
and,  accustomed  as  I  was  to  seeing  "the  best  men  in  the  ranks,"  the 
way  these  young  bloods  talked  rather  astounded  me. 

"Private  in  '  Co.  F,'"  answered  John  C.  to  my  query — he  repre- 
sented one  of  the  finest  estates  on  the  river — "  You've  heard  of  'F,» 
of  course.  We  hang  by  the  old  company.  Wyatt  has  just  refused  a 
captaincy  of  engineers  to  stick  as  third  corporal." 

"Neat  that,  in  John,"  put  in  Wyatt,  "when  he  was  offered  the 
majority  of  a  regiment  of  cavalry  and  refused  it  to  stay  in." 

"And  why  not?"  said  George  H.  shortly.  "Pass  the  Madeira, 
Will.  I  would'nt  give  my  place  in  'F'  for  the  best  majority  going. 
As  far  as  that  goes  it's  a  mere  matter  of  taste,  I  know.  But  the  fact 
is,  if  we  of  the  old  organizations  dodge  our  duty  now  by  hunting 
commissions,  how  can  we  hope  that  the  people  will  come  to  time 
promptly?"  George  H.  had  a  quarter  of  a  million  to  his  credit,  and 
was  an  only  son — "Now,  I  think  Bev  did  a  foolish  thing  not  to  take 
his  regiment  when  Uncle  Jeff  offered  him  the  commission. 

"  I  don't  see  it,"  responded  Beverly  I.  in  an  aggrieved  tone.  "You 
fellows  in  '  F'  were  down  on  your  captain  when  he  took  his  colonelcy; 
and  I'm  as  proud  of  my  junior  lieutenancy  in  the  old  First,  as  if  I 
commanded  '  F '  company  itself!  " 

"  But  is  it  usual,"  I  queried,  "for  you  gentlemen  to  refuse  promo- 
tion when  offered — I  don't  mean  to  not  seek  it — to  remain  with  your 
old  companies  ?  Would  you  stay  in  the  ranks  as  a  private  when  as  a 
captain  or  major  you  might  do  better  service?" 

"  Peutetre  for  the  present,"  responded  Wyatt — "  Don't  misunder- 
stand us ;  we're  not  riding  at  windmills,  and  I  sincerely  hope  you'll 
see  us  all  with  wreaths  on  our  collars  yet.  But  there's  a  tacit  agreement 


io6  Four  Years  in  Rebel  Capitals. 

that  just  now  we  can  do  more  good  in  the  ranks  than  anywhere  else. 
For  myself,  I  don't  delight  in  drill  and  dirt,  and  don't  endorse  that 
sentimental  bosh  about  the  '  post  of  honor.'  But  our  duty  is  where 
we  can  do  most  good,  and  our  example  will  decide  many  doubtful 
ones  and  shame  the  laggard." 

"And  we'll  all  go  out  after  a  few  fights,  if  we  don't  get  popped  off," 
put  in  George  H.,  "and  then  we'll  feel  we've  won  our  spurs!" 

"Well,  I'm  not  too  modest  to  say  that  I  think  we  are  pretty  ex- 
pensive food  for  powder,"  said  John  C.,  "but  then  we're  not  worth 
more  than  the  'Crescents,'  the  'Cadets,'  or  'Hampton's  Legion.* 
The  colonel's  sons  are  both  in  the  ranks  of  the  Legion,  and  refused 
commissions.  Why  should  the  best  blood  of  Carolina  do  more  than 
the  best  blood  of  Virginia  ?  " 

"And  see  those  Baltimore  boys,"  said  Adjutant  Y.,  of  a  Georgia 
legion.  "  They've  given  up  home,  friends  and  wealth  to  come  and 
fight  for  us  and  the  cause.  They  don't  go  round  begging  for  com- 
missions !  If  my  colonel  didn't  insist  I  was  more  useful  where  I  am, 
I'd  drop  the  bar  and  take  a  musket  among  them.  That  sort  of  stock 
I  like  ! "  But  if  Lieutenant  Y.  had  taken  the  musket,  a  stray  bullet 
might  have  spoiled  a  most  dashing  major-general  of  cavalry. 

"I  fear  very  much,"  I  answered,  "that  the  war  will  be  long 
enough  for  all  the  really  good  material  to  come  to  the  surface.  The 
preparations  at  the  North  are  on  a  scale  we  never  before  dreamed  of, 
and  her  government  seems  determined  to  enforce  obedience." 

"  God  forbid !  "  and  Wyatt  spoke  more  solemnly  than  I  ever  heard 
him  before.  ' '  But  I  begin  to  believe  as  you  do.  I'd  sooner  risk  my 
wreath  than  that  '  the  good  material '  you  speak  of  should  have  the 
1  chance  to  come  to  the  surface.'  Think  how  many  a  good  fellow 
would  be  under  the  surface  by  that  time  ! " 

"It  sometimes  sickens  me  on  parade,"  said  George  H.,  "when 
I  look  down  the  line  and  think  what  a  gap  in  our  old  set  a  volley  will 
make!  I  think  we  are  pretty  expensive  food  for  powder,  John. 
Minies  are  no  respecters  of  persons,  old  fellow ;  and  there'll  be 
many  a  black  dress  in  Richmond  after  the  first  bulletin." 

"  God  send  we  may  all  meet  here  after  the  war,  and  drink  to  the 
New  Nation  in  Wyatt's  sherry!"  said  Lieutenant  Y.  "It's  better 
than  the  water  at  Howard's  Grove.  But  the  mare  '11  have  hot  work 
to  get  the  adjutant  into  camp  before  taps.  So,  here's  how  ! "  and  he 
filled  his  glass  and  tossed  it  off,  as  we  broke  up. 


Four  Years  in  Rebel  Capitals.  107 

I  have  recorded  the  spirit  of  a  private,  every-day  conversation, 
just  as  I  heard  it  over  a  dinner-table,  from  a  party  of  giddy  young, 
men.  But  I  thought  over  it  long  that  night;  and  many  times  after- 
ward when  the  sickening  bulletins  were  posted  after  the  battles. 

Here  were  as  gay  and  reckless  a  set  of  youths  as  wealth,  position 
and  everything  to  make  life  dear  to  them  could  produce,  going  into 
a  desperate  war — with  a  perfect  sense  of  its  perils,  its  probable  dura- 
tion and  its  rewards — yet  refusing  promotion  offered,  that  their  ex- 
ample might  be  more  beneficial  in  calling  out  volunteers. 

And  there  was  no  Quixotism.  It  was  the  result  of  reason  and  a 
conviction  that  they  were  only  doing  their  duty ;  for,  I  believe  every 
man  of  those  I  had  just  left  perfectly  appreciated  the  trials  and  dis- 
comforts he  was  preparing  for  himself,  and  felt  the  advantages  that  a 
commission,  this  early  in  the  war,  would  give  him ! 

It  may  be  that  this  ' '  romance  of  war  "  was  not  of  long  duration  ; 
and  that  after  the  first  campaign  the  better  class  of  men  anxiously 
sought  promotion.  This  was  natural  enough.  They  had  won  the 
right  to  it ;  and  the  sacrifice  of  their  good  example  had  not  been 
without  effect.  But  I  do  think  it  was  much  less  natural  that  they 
should  have  so  acted  in  the  first  place. 

Industry  and  bustle  were  still  the  order  of  the  day  in  camp ;  and, 
in  town,  the  activity  increased  rather  than  abated.  There  were  few 
idlers  about  Richmond,  even  chronic  "do-nothings"  becoming  im- 
pressed with  the  idea  that  in  the  universal  work  they,  must  do  some- 
thing. 

The  name  of  Henry  A.  Wise  was  relied  upon  by  the  Government 
as  a  great  power  to  draw  volunteers  from  the  people  he  had  so  fre- 
quently represented  in  various  capacities.  The  commission  of  brig- 
adier-general was  given  him,  with  authority  to  raise  a  brigade  to  be 
called  the  "  Wise  Legion,"  to  operate  in  Western  Virginia.  Though 
there  was  no  reason  to  think  Wise  would  make  a  great  soldier,  his  per- 
sonal popularity  was  supposed  to  be  sufficient  to  counterbalance  that 
objection ;  for  it  was  of  the  first  importance  to  the  Government  that 
the  western  half  of  the  State  should  be  saved  to  the  Confederate 
cause.  In  the  first  place,  the  active  and  hardy  population  was  splen- 
did material  for  soldiers,  and  it  was  believed  at  Richmond  that,  with 
proper  pressure  applied,  they  would  take  up  arms  for  the  South  in 
great  numbers ;  otherwise,  when  the  Federal  troops  advanced  into 


io8  Four  Years  in  Rebel  Capitals. 

their  country,  they  might  go  to  the  other  side.  Again,  the  products 
of  the  rich  western  region  were  almost  essential  to  the  support  of  the 
troops  in  Virginia,  in  view  of  contracted  facilities  for  transporta- 
tion ;  and  the  product  of  the  Kanawha  Salines  alone — the  only  reg- 
ular and  very  extensive  salt  works  in  the  country — were  worth  a 
strenuous  effort.  This  portion  of  Virginia,  too,  was  a  great  military 
highway  for  United  States  troops,  en  'route  to  the  West ;  and  once 
securely  lodged  in  its  almost  impregnable  fastnesses,  their  ejection 
would  be  practically  impossible. 

General  Garnett — an  old  army  officer  of  reputation  and  promise — 
was  already  in  that  field,  with  a  handful  of  troops  from  the  Virginia 
army ;  among  them  a  regiment  from  about  Richmond,  commanded  by 
Lieutenant  Colonel  Pegram.  The  Federals,  grasping  at  once  the  full 
importance  of  this  position,  had  sent  to  meet  this  demonstration  an 
army  under  General  McClellan,  with  Rosecrans  commanding  the 
advance.  There  had  been  no  collision,  but  its  approach  could  not 
be  long  delayed ;  and  the  South  wanted  men. 

In  this  posture  of  affairs,  General  Wise  received  his  commission 
and  orders.  The  old  politician  donned  his  uniform  with  great  alac- 
rity; called  about  him  a  few  of  the  best  companies  of  Richmond, 
as  a  nucleus ;  and  went  to  work  with  all  the  vim  and  activity  ex- 
pected by  those  who  knew  him  best.  The  "Richmond  Light  In- 
fantry Blues  " — the  oldest  company  in  Richmond,  commanded  by  his 
son — was  foremost  among  them.  "  Co.  F"  was  to  go  West,  too;  and 
though  its  members,  one  and  all,  would  have  preferred  a  more  prom- 
ising sphere  of  duty,  at  Yorktown,  or  on  the  Potomac,  every  man 
acquiesced  with  cheerful  spirit. 

"Sair  was  the  weeping"  of  the  matrons  and  maidens  of  Rich- 
mond, when  told  their  darlings  were  to  go;  but  their  sorrow  did 
not  prevent  the  most  active  demonstrations  toward  the  comfort  of 
the  outer  and  inner  man. 

"Not  a  pleasant  summer  jaunt  we're  to  have,  old  man,"  Wyatt 
said  when  he  bade  me  good-bye.  "  I've  been  to  that  country  hunt- 
ing and  found  it  devilish  fine ;  but  'tisn't  so  fine  by  half  when  you're 
hunting  a  Yank,  who  has  a  long-range  rifle  and  is  likewise  hunting  for 
you.  Then  I've  an  idea  of  perpetual  snow — glaciers — and  all  that 
sort  of  thing.  I  feel  like  the  new  John  Franklin.  But  I'll  write  a 
book— « Trapping  the  Yank  in  the  Ice-fields  of  the  South.'  Taking 


Four  Years  in  Rebel  Capitals.  109 

title,  eh  ?  But  seriously,  I  know  we  can't  all  go  to  Beauregard  ;  and 
there'll  be  fighting  enough  all  round  before  it  '  holds  up.'  God  bless 
you !  We'll  meet  somewhere  ;  if  not  before,  when  I  come  down  in 
the  fall  to  show  you  the  new  stars  on  my  collar ! " 

Thus  "Co.  F"  went  into  the  campaign.  Its  record  there  is 
history.  So  is  that  of  many  another  like  it. 

As  I  have  tried  to  show,  this  spirit  pervaded  the  whole  South  to 
an  almost  universal  extent.  Companies  like  these,  scattered  among 
the  grosser  material  of  the  army,  must  have  been  the  alloy  that  gave 
to  the  whole  mass  that  true  ring  which  will  sound  down  all  history ! 
The  coarse  natures  around  could  but  be  shamed  into  imitation,  when 
they  saw  the  delicately  nurtured  darlings  of  society  toiling  through 
mud  knee  deep,  or  sleeping  in  stiffening  blankets,  without  a  murmur! 
And  many  a  charge  has  been  saved  because  a  regiment  like  the  First 
Virginia  or  the  Alabama  Third  walked  straight  into  the  iron  hail,  as 
though  it  had  been  a  carnival  pelting ! 

The  man  who  tells  us  that  blood  has  little  effect  must  have  read 
history  to  very  little  purpose ;  or  have  looked  very  carelessly  into  the 
glass  that  Nature  hourly  holds  up  to  his  view. 

Wyatt  was  right  when  he  said  "there  was  nothing  doing  "  socially. 
But  there  was  much  doing  otherwise.  The  war  was  young  yet,  and 
each  household  had  its  engrossing  excitement  in  getting  its  loved  ones 
ready  for  the  field.  The  pets  of  the  ball-room  were  to  lay  aside  broad- 
cloth and  kids;  and  the  pump-soled  boots  of  the  "german"  were  to 
be  changed  for  the  brogan  of  the  camp. 

The  women  of  the  city  were  too  busy  now  to  care  for  society  and 
its  frippery;  the  new  objects  of  life  filled  every  hour.  The  anxieties 
of  the  war  were  not  yet  a  twice-told  tale,  and  no  artificial  excitements 
were  needed  to  drive  them  away.  The  women  of  Virginia,  like  her 
men,  were  animated  with  a  spirit  of  devotion  and  self-sacrifice. 
Mothers  sent  their  youngest  born  to  the  front,  and  bade  them  bear 
their  shields,  or  be  found  under  them  ;  and  the  damsel  who  did  not 
bid  her  lover  "  God  speed  and  go  ! "  would  have  been  a  finger  point 
and  a  scoff.  And  the  flags  for  their  pet  regiments — though  many  a 
bitter  tear  was  broidered  into  their  folds — were  always  given  with  the 
brave  injunction  to  bear  them  worthily,  even  to  the  death ! 

The  spirit  upon  the  people — one  and  all — was  "The  cause — not 


no  Four  Years  in  Rebel  Capitals. 

us ! "  and  under  the  rough  gray,  hearts  beat  with  as  high  a  chivalry 
as-  - 

"  In  the  brave,  good  days  of  old, 
When  men  for  virtue  and  honor  fought 

In  serried  ranks,  'neath  their  banners  bright, 
By  the  fairy  hands  of  beauty  wrought, 
And  broidered  with  '  God  and  Right!  "' 


Four   Years  in  Rebel  Capitals.  in 


CHAPTER  XIV. 

THE  BAPTISM  OF  BLOOD. 

On  the  afternoon  of  June  10,  1861,  Richmond  was  thrown  into  a 
commotion — though  of  a  different  nature — hardly  exceeded  by  that 
exciting  Sabbath,  "  Pawnee  Sunday."  Jubilant,  but  agitated  crowds 
collected  at  the  telegraph  offices,  the  hotels  and  the  doors  of  the  War 
Department,  to  get  the  news  of  the  first  fight  on  Virginia  soil. 

That  morning  the  enemy  had  pressed  boldly  forward,  in  three  heavy 
columns,  against  Magruder's  lines  at  Big  Bethel  Church.  He  had 
been  sharply  repulsed  in  several  distinct  charges,  with  heavy  loss,  by 
D.  H.  Hill's  regiment — the  first  North  Carolina,  and  two  guns  of  the 
Richmond  Howitzers,  commanded  by  Major  John  W.  Randolph — 
afterward  Secretary  of  War. 

Naturally  there  was  great  and  deep  rejoicing  over  this  news  in  all 
quarters  and  from  all  classes.  None  had  expected  a  different  general 
result ;  for  the  confidence  in  Magruder's  ability  at  that  time,  and  in 
the  pluck  of  his  troops,  was  perfect;  but  the  ease  and  dash  with 
which  the  victory  had  been  achieved  was  looked  upon  as  the  sure  pre- 
sage of  great  success  elsewhere. 

Although  the  conduct  of  the  fight  had  been  in  the  hands  of 
Colonel  D.  H.  Hill — afterward  so  well  known  as  a  staunch  and  hard 
fighting  officer — and  his  North  Carolinians  had  illustrated  it  by  more 
than  one  act  of  personal  daring  ;  still  the  cannon  had  done  the  main 
work  and  it  was  taken  as  a  Richmond  victory. 

The  small  loss,  too,  where  the  home  people  had  been  so  deeply 
interested,  added  a  cheering  glow  to  the  news  that  nothing  else  could 
have  given.  Bowed  and  venerable  men,  little  girls  and  tremulous 
old  women  spoke  of  the  fight  "we  won."  And  why  not?  Were 
not  their  sons,  and  husbands,  and  brothers,  really  a  part  of  them? 

It  was  curious  to  see  how  prone  the  women  were  to  attribute  the 
result  to  a.special  interposition  of  Divine  aid,  and  to  share  the  laurels, 
gathered  that  bright  June  day,  with  a  higher  Power  than  rested  in  a 
Springfield  rifle,  or  a  i2-pr.  howitzer. 


ii2  Four  Years  in  Rebel  Capitals. 

"  Don't  you  tell  me  one  word,  cap'n  ! "  I  heard  an  old  lady  ex- 
claim in  great  ire,  at  the  door  of  the  War  Department,  ' '  ~Pio\\-dence  is 
a-fightin'  our  battles  for  us !  The  Lord  is  with  us,  and  thar's  his  hand- 
writm'—jest  as  plain  !  " 

"Don't  say  nothin'  agin'  that,  marm,"  answered  the  western  cap- 
tain, with  Cromwellian  sagacity;  "but  ef  we  don't  help  Providence 
powerful  hard  we  ain't  agoin'  ter  win ! " 

There  was  a  perfect  atmosphere  of  triumph  all  over  the  state. 
Troops  lying  in  camp  began  to  get  restless  and  eager  to  go  at  once — 
even  half-prepared  as  many  of  them  were — to  the  front.  Perfect 
confidence  in  the  ability  of  the  South  to  beat  back  any  advance  had 
been  before  the  too  prevalent  idea  of  army  and  people ;  and  the  ease 
of  the  victory  added  to  this  conviction  a  glow  of  exultation  over  the 
invincibility  of  the  southern  soldier. 

But  the  confidence  begotten  by  the  result  had,  as  yet,  a  beneficial 
rather  than  a  bad  effect.  Enlistments  were  stimulated  and  camps  of 
instruction  vied  with  each  other  in  energy  of  preparation  and  close 
attention  to  drill.  Every  soldier  felt  that  the  struggle  might  be  fierce, 
but  would  certainly  be  short ;  and  the  meanest  private  panted  to  have 
his  share  in  the  triumphant  work  while  there  was  yet  a  chance.  The 
women  worked  harder  than  ever ;  and  at  every  sewing-circle  the  story 
of  the  fight  was  retold  with  many  a  glowing  touch  added  by  skillful 
narration.  And  while  soft  eyes  flashed  and  delicate  cheeks  glowed  at 
the  music  of  the  recital,  needles  glanced  quicker  still  through  the 
tough  fabric  for  those  "  dear  boys !  " 

Along  the  other  army  lines,  the  news  from  Magruder's  inspired 
the  men  with  a  wild  desire  to  dash  forward  and  have  their  turn,  be- 
fore the  whole  crop  of  early  laurels  was  gathered.  An  aide  on  Gen- 
eral Beauregard's  staff  came  down  from  Manassas  a  few  days  after 
Bethel,  in  charge  of  prisoners ;  and  he  told  me  that  the  men  had  been 
in  a  state  of  nervous  excitement  for  an  advance  before,  but  now  were 
so  wild  over  the  news,  it  was  hard  to  restrain  them  from  advancing 
of  their  own  accord. 

The  clear-headed  generals  in  command,  however,  looked  over  the 
flash  and  glitter  of  the  first  success,  to  the  sterner  realities  beyond ; 
and  they  drew  the  bands  of  discipline  only  tighter — and  administered 
the  wholesome  tonic  of  regular  drill — the  nearer  they  saw  the  ap- 
proach of  real  work. 


Four  Years  in  Rebel  Capitals.  113 

The  Government,  too,  hailed  the  success  at  Bethel  as  an  omen  of 
the  future ;  but  rather  that  it  tested  the  spirit  of  the  troops  and  their 
ability  to  stand  fire,  than  from  any  solid  fruits  of  the  fight.  They 
understood  that  it  was  scarcely  a  check  to  the  great  advance  to  be 
made ;  and  though  perhaps  not  ' '  only  a  reconnaissance  that  accom- 
plished its  intention,"  as  the  Federal  officers  declared,  it  was  yet  only 
the  result  of  such  a  movement.  True,  eighteen  hundred  raw  troops, 
never  under  fire,  had  met  more  than  double  their  number  and  fought 
steadily  and  well  from  nine  o'clock  till  two ;  and  had,  besides,  ac- 
complished this  with  the  insignificant  loss  of  one  killed  and  seven 
wounded ! 

But  this  was  not  yet  the  test  that  was  to  try  how  fit  they  were  to 
fight  for  the  principles  for  which  they  had  so  promptly  flown  to  arms. 
The  great  shock  was  to  come  in  far  different  form ;  and  every  nerve 
was  strained  to  meet  the  issue  when  made. 

The  Ordnance  Department  had  been  organized,  and  already 
brought  to  a  point  of  efficiency,  by  Major  Gorgas — a  resigned  officer 
of  the  United  States  Artillery ;  and  it  was  ably  seconded  by  the  Tre- 
degar  Works.  All  night  long  the  dwellers  on  Gamble's  Hill  saw  their 
furnaces  shine  with  a  steady  glow,  and  the  tall  chimneys  belch  out 
clouds  of  dense,  luminous  smoke  into  the  night.  At  almost  any  hour 
of  the  day,  Mr.  Tanner's  well-known  black  horses  could  be  seen  at 
the 'door  of  the  War  Department,  or  dashing  thence  to  the  foundry, 
or  one  of  the  'depots.  As  consequence  of  this  energy  and  industry, 
huge  trains  of  heavy  guns,  and  improved  ordnance  of  every  kind, 
were  shipped  off  to  the  threatened  points,  almost  daily,  to  the  full 
capacity  of  limited  rolling  stock  on  the  roads.  The  new  regiments 
were  rapidly  armed;  their  old-style  muskets  exchanged  for  better 
ones,  to  be  in  their  turn  put  through  the  improving  Tredegar  process. 
Battery  equipments,  harness  works,  forges — in  fact,  all  requirements 
for  the  service — were  at  once  put  in  operation  under  the  working 
order  and  system  introduced  into  the  bureaux.  The  efficiency  of  the 
southern  artillery — until  paralyzed  by  the  breaking  down  of  its  horses 
— is  sufficient  proof  how  this  branch  was  conducted. 

The  Medical  Department — to  play  so  important  and  needful  a 

part  in  the  coming  days  of  blood — was  now  thoroughly  reorganized 

and  placed  on  really  efficient  footing.     Surgeons  of  all  ages — some 

of  first  force  and  of  highest  reputation  in  the  South — left  home  and 

8 


ii4  Four  Years  in  Rebel  Capitals. 

practice,  to  seek  and  receive  positions  under  it.  These,  on  passing 
examination  and  receiving  commission,  were  sent  to  points  where 
most  needed,  with  full  instructions  to  prepare  to  the  utmost  for  the 
comfort  of  the  sick  and  wounded.  Medicines,  instruments,  stretch- 
ers and  supplies  of  all  sorts  were  freely  sent  to  the  purveyors  in  the 
field — where  possible,  appointed  from  experienced  surgeons  of  the 
old  service ;  while  the  principal  hospitals  and  depots  in  Richmond 
were  put  in  perfect  order  to  receive  their  expected  tenants,  under  the 
personal  supervision  of  the  Surgeon-General. 

The  Quartermaster's  Department,  both  for  railroad  transportation 
and  field  service,  underwent  a  radical  change,  as  experience  of  the 
early  campaign  pointed  out  its  imperfections.  This  department  is 
the  life  of  the  army — the  supplies  of  every  description  must  be  re- 
ceived through  its  hands.  Efficiently  directed,  it  can  contribute  to 
the  most  brilliant  results,  and  badly  handled,  can  thwart  the  most 
perfectly  matured  plans  of  genius,  or  generalship. 

Colonel  A.  C.  Myers,  who  was  early  made  Acting  Quartermaster- 
General,  had  the  benefit  of  the  assistance  and  advice  of  an  able 
corps  of  subordinates — both  from  the  old  service  and  from  the  active 
business  men  of  the  South ;  and,  whatever  may  have  been  its  later 
abuses,  at  this  time  the  bureau  was  managed  with  an  efficiency  and 
vigor  that  could  scarcely  have  been  looked  for  in  so  new  an  organiza- 
tion. 

The  Commissariat  alone  was  badly  managed  from  its  very  incep- 
tion. Murmurs  loud  and  deep  arose  from  every  quarter  against  its 
numerous  errors  and  abuses ;  and  the  sagacity  of  Mr.  Davis — so  en- 
tirely approved  elsewhere — was  in  this  case  more  than  doubted. 
Colonel  Northrop  had  been  an  officer  of  cavalry,  but  for  many  years 
had  been  on  a  quasi  sick-leave,  away  from  all  connection  with  any 
branch  of  the  army — save,  perhaps,  the  paymaster's  office.  The  rea- 
son for  his  appointment  to,  perhaps,  the  most  responsible  bureau  of 
the  War  Department  was  a  mystery  to  people  everywhere. 

Suddenly  the  news  from  Rich  Mountain  came.  It  fell  like  a 
thunderbolt  from  the  summer  sky,  that  the  people  deluded  them- 
selves was  to  sail  over  them  with  never  a  cloud !  The  flood-tide  of 
success,  upon  which  they  had  been  floating  so  gaily,  was  suddenly 
dammed  and  flowed  back  upon  them  in  surges  of  sullen  gloom. 

The  southern  masses  are  essentially  mercurial  and  are  more  given 


Four   Years  in  Rebel  Capitals.  115 

to  sudden  extremes  of  hope  and  despondency  than  any  people  in  the 
world — except,  perhaps,  the  French.  Any  event  in  which  they  are 
interested  can,  by  a  partial  success,  carry  them  up  to  a  glowing  en- 
thusiasm, or  depress  them  to  zero  by  its  approach  to  failure.  The 
buzz  and  stir  of  preparation,  the  constant  exertion  attending  it  and 
their  absorbing  interest  in  the  cause,  had  all  prepared  the  people, 
more  than  ordinarily  even,  for  one  of  these  barometric  shiftings.  The 
news  from  Bethel  had  made  them  almost  wild  with  joy  and  caused  an 
excessive  elation  that  could  ill  bear  a  shock.  The  misfortune  at  Rich 
Mountain  threw  a  corresponding  gloom  over  the  whple  face  of  affairs ; 
and,  as  the  success  at  Bethel  had  been  overrated  from  the  Potomac  to 
the  Gulf,  so  this  defeat  was  deemed  of  more  serious  importance  than 
it  really  was. 

This  feeling  in  Richmond  was  much  aggravated  by  her  own  pecul- 
iar loss.  Some  of  her  best  men  had  been  in  the  fight,  and  all  that 
could  be  learned  of  them  was  that  they  were  scattered,  or  shot.  Gar- 
nett  was  dead;  the  gallant  DeLagnel  was  shot  down  fighting  to  the 
last ;  and  Pegram  was  a  prisoner — the  gallant  regiment  he  led  cut  up 
and  dispersed! 

Only  a  few  days  before,  a  crowd  of  the  fairest  and  most  honored 
that  Richmond  could  boast  had  assembled  at  the  depot  to  bid  them 
God  speed !  Crowds  of  fellow  soldiers  had  clustered  round  them, 
hard  hands  had  clasped  theirs — while  bright  smiles  of  cheer  broke 
through  the  tears  on  softest  cheeks;  and,  as  the  train  whirled  off  and 
the  banner  that  tender  hands  had  worked — with  a  feeling  "passing 
the  love  of  woman  " — waved  over  them,  wreathed  with  flowers,  not  a 
heart  was  in  the  throng  but  beat  high  with  anticipation  of  brave  deed 
and  brilliant  victory  following  its  folds. 

Scarcely  had  these  flowers  withered  when  the  regiment — shattered 
and  beaten — was  borne  down  by  numbers,  and  the  flag  itself  sullied 
and  torn  by  the  tramp  of  its  conquerors.  And  the  shame  of  defeat 
was  much  heightened  to  these  good  people,  by  the  agonies  of  sus- 
pense as  to  the  fate  of  their  loved  ones.  It  was  three  days  after  the 
news  of  the  disaster  reached  the  War  Department  before  the  death  of 
Garnett  was  a  certainty ;  and  longer  time  still  elapsed  ere  the  minor 
casualties  were  known.  When  they  did  come,  weeping  sounded 
through  many  a  Virginia  home  for  its  stay,  or  its  darling,  stark  on  the 
distant  battle-field,  or  carried  into  captivity. 


n6  Four  Years  in  Rebel  Capitals. 

The  details  of  the  fight  were  generally  and  warmly  discussed,  but 
with  much  more  of  feeling  than  of  knowledge  of  their  real  bearings. 
Public  opinion  fixed  the  result  decidedly  as  the  consequence  of  want 
of  skill  and  judgment,  in  dividing  the  brigade  at  a  critical  moment. 
There  was  a  balm  in  the  reflection,  however,  that  though  broken  and 
beaten,  the  men  had  fought  well  in  the  face  of  heavy  odds ;  and  that 
their  officers  had  striven  by  every  effort  of  manhood  to  hold  them  to 
their  duty.  General  Garnett  had  exposed  himself  constantly,  and 
was  killed  by  a  sharp-shooter  at  Carrock's  Ford — over  which  he  had 
brought  the  remnant  of  his  army  by  a  masterly  retreat — while  holding 
the  stream  at  the  head  of  a  small  squad.  Pegram  fought  with  gal- 
lantry and  determination.  He  felt  the  position  untenable  and  had 
remonstrated  against  holding  it;  yet  the  admirable  disposition  of  his- 
few  troops,  and  the  skill  and  courage  with  which  he  had  managed 
them,  had  cost  the  enemy  many  a  man  before  the  mountain  was  won. 
Captured  and  bruised  by  the  fall  of  his  horse,  he  refused  to  surrender 
his  sword  until  an  officer,  his  equal  in  rank,  should  demand  it.  De 
Lagnel  cheered  his  men  till  they  fell  between  the  guns  they  could  no 
longer  work;  then  seized  the  rammer  himself  and  loaded  the  piece 
till  he,  too,  was  shot  down.  Wounded,  he  still  fought  with  his  pistol, 
till  a  bayonet  thrust  stretched  him  senseless. 

These  brilliant  episodes  illustrated  the  gloomy  story  of  the  defeat ; 
but  it  still  caused  very  deep  and  general  depression.  This  was  only 
partly  relieved  by  the  news  that  followed  so  closely  upon  it,  of  the 
brilliant  success  of  General  Price's  army  at  Carthage.  Missouri  was 
so  far  away  that  the  loudest  shouts  of  victory  there  could  echo  but 
dimly  in  the  ears  at  Richmond,  already  dulled  by  Rich  Mountain. 
Still,  it  checked  the  blue  mood  of  the  public  to  some  extent;  and 
the  Government  saw  in  it  much  more  encouragement  than  the  people. 

There  had  been  much  doubt  among  the  southern  leaders  as  to  the 
materiel  of  the  western  armies,  on  both  sides.  Old  and  tried  officers 
felt  secure,  ceteris  paribus,  of  success  against  the  northern  troops  of 
the  coast,  or  Middle  States ;  but  the  hardy  hunters  from  the  West  and 
North-west  were  men  of  a  very  different  stamp.  The  resources  of 
the  whole  country  had  been  strained  to  send  into  Virginia  such  an 
army  in  numbers  and  equipment  as  the  preparation  for  invasion  of 
her  borders  seemed  to  warrant.  This  had  left  the  South  and  South- 
west rather  more  thinly  garrisoned  than  all  deemed  prudent.  The 


Four  Yearn  in  Rebel  Capitals.  117 

grounds  for  security  in  Virginia  were  that  the  mass  Of  the  southern 
troops  were  thoroughly  accustomed  to  the  use  of  arms  and  perfectly  at 
home  on  horseback ;  and  no  doubts  were  felt  that  the  men  of  the  North- 
eastern States,  there  opposed  to  them,  were  far  below  them  in  both 
requirements.  The  superior  excellence  of  the  latter  in  arms,  equip- 
ment, and  perhaps  discipline,  was  more  than  compensated  to  the 
former  by  their  greater  familiarity  with  the  arms  they  carried  and 
their  superiority  of  physique  and  endurance.  Any  advantage  of 
numbers,  it  was  argued,  was  made  up  by  the  fact  of  the  invading 
army  being  forced  to  fight  on  the  ground  chosen  by  the  invaded ; 
and  in  the  excellence  of  her  tacticians,  rather  more  than  in  any  ex- 
pected equality  of  numbers,  the  main  reliance  of  the  southern  gov- 
ernment was  placed.  Hence  it  was  full  of  confidence  as  to  the  result 
in  the  East. 

In  the  West,  it  was  far  different.  There  the  armies  of  the  United 
States  were  recruited  from  the  hardy  trappers  and  frontiersmen  of 
the  border;  from  the  sturdy  yeomen  of  the  inland  farms;  and,  in 
many  instances,  whole  districts  had  separated,  and  men  from  ad- 
joining farms  had  gone  to  join  in  a  deadly  fight,  in  opposing  ranks. 
Though  the  partisan  spirit  with  these  was  stronger  than  with  other 
southern  troops — for  they  added  the  bitterness  of  personal  hate  to 
the  sectional  feeling — yet  thinking  people  felt  that  the  men  themselves 
were  more  equally  matched  in  courage,  endurance  and  the  knowledge 
of  arms. 

It  is  an  old  axiom  in  war,  that  when  the  personnel  of  armies  is 
equal,  victory  is  apt  to  rest  with  numbers.  In  the  West,  the  United 
States  not  only  had  the  numbers  in  their  favor,  but  they  were  better 
equipped  in  every  way ;  and  the  only  hope  of  the  South  was  in  the 
superiority  of  its  generals  in  strategic  ability. 

Thus,  the  fight  at  Carthage  was  viewed  by  the  Government  as  a 
test  question  of  deep  meaning ;  and  Sterling  Price  began  at  once  to 
rank  as  a  rising  man.  The  general  gloom  through  the  country  began 
to  wear  off,  but  that  feeling  of  overweening  confidence,  in  which  the 
people  had  so  universally  indulged,  was  much  shaken ;  and  it  was 
with  some  misgivings  as  to  the  perfect  certainty  of  success  that  they 
began  to  look  upon  the  tremendous  preparations  for  the  Virginia 
campaign,  to  which  the  North  was  bending  its  every  effort,  under  the 
personal  supervision  of  General  Scott.  The  bitterness  that  the  mass 


n8  Four  Years  in  Rebel  Capitals. 

of  the  people  of  the  South— especially  in  Virginia — felt  against  that 
officer  did  not  affect  their  exalted  opinion  of  his  vast  grasp  of  mind 
and  great  military  science.  The  people,  as  a  body,  seldom  reason 
deeply  upon  such  points ;  and  it  would  probably  have  been  hard  to 
find  out  why  it  was  so ;  but  the  majority  of  his  fellow-statesmen  cer- 
tainly feared  and  hated  "the  general"  in  about  an  equal  degree. 
It  was  a  good  thing  for  the  South  that  this  was  the  case;  and  that 
the  mighty  "  On  to  Richmond  !" — the  clang  of  which  was  resounding 
to  the  farthest  limits  of  the  North  and  sending  its  threatening  echoes 
over  the  Potomac — was  recognized  by  them  as  a  serious  and  deter- 
mined attempt  upon  the  new  Capital. 

Every  fresh  mail,  through  "  the  blockade,"  brought  more  and  more 
astounding  intelligence  of  these  vast  preparations.  Every  fresh  cap 
that  was  exploded,  every  new  flag  that  was  broidered,  was  duly  chron- 
icled by  the  rabid  press.  The  editors  of  the  North  seemed  to  have 
gone  military  mad ;  and  when  they  did  not  dictate  plans  of  battles, 
lecture  their  government  and  bully  its  generals,  they  told  wondrous 
stories  of  an  army  that  Xerxes  might  have  gaped  to  see. 

All  the  newspaper  bombast  could  easily  be  sifted,  however ;  and 
private  letters  from  reliable  sources  of  intelligence  over  the  Potomac 
all  agreed  as  to  the  vast  scale  and  perfection  of  arrangement  of  the 
onward  movement.  The  public  pulse  in  the  South  had  settled  again 
to  a  steady  and  regular  beat ;  but  it  visibly  quickened  as  the  time  of 
trial  approached. 

And  that  time  could  not  be  long  delayed  ! 

The  army  of  Virginia  was  in  great  spirits.  Each  change  of  posi- 
tion— every  fresh  disposition  of  troops — told  them  that  their  leaders 
expected  a  fight  at  any  moment ;  and  they  panted  for  it  and  chafed 
under  the  necessary  restraints  of  discipline,  like  hounds  in  the  leash. 

When  General  Johnston  took  command  of  the  "Army  of  the 
Shenandoah  "  at  Harper's  Ferry,  he  at  once  saw  that  with  the  small 
force  at  his  command  the  position  was  untenable.  To  hold  it,  the 
heights  on  both  sides  of  the  river  commanding  it  would  have  to  be 
fortified,  and  a  clear  line  of  communication  maintained  with  his  base. 

General  McClellan,  with  a  force  equal  to  his,  was  hovering  about 
Romney  and  the  upper  Valley,  ready  at  any  moment  to  swoop  down 
upon  his  flank  and  make  a  junction  with  Patterson,  who  was  in  his 
front,  thus  crushing  him  between  them.  Patterson  was  threatening 


Four  Years  in  Rebel  Capitals.  119 

Winchester,  at  which  point  he  would  be  able  to  cut  Johnston's  sup- 
plies and  at  the  same  time  effect  his  desired  junction  with  McClellan. 

To  prevent  this,  about  the  middle  of 'June,  General  Johnston 
evacuated  Harper's  Ferry,  destroying  the  magazines  and  a  vast 
amount  of  property,  and  fell  back  to  Winchester.  Then,  for  one 
month,  Patterson  and  he  played  at  military  chess,  on  a  field  ranging 
from  Winchester  to  Martinsburg,  without  advantage  on  either  side. 
At  the  end  of  that  time— on  the  isth  of  July — the  former  made  his 
grand  feint  of  an  advance,  which  Colonel  Jeb  Stuart — who  was  scout- 
ing in  his  front — declared  to  be  a  real  movement ;  warning  General 
Johnston  that  the  blow  was  at  last  to  fall  in  earnest.  This  warning 
the  clear-headed  and  subtle  tactician  took  in  such  part,  that  he  at 
once  prepared  to  dispatch  his  whole  force  to  Manassas  to  join  Beau- 
regard.  Well  did  General  Scott  say,  "  Beware  of  Johnston's  re- 
treats ;  "  for — whatever  the  country  may  have  thought  of  it  at  the 
time — the  retreat  from  Harper's  Ferry  culminated  in  the  battle  of 
Manassas ! 

Meanwhile,  in  Richmond  the  excitement  steadily  rose,  but  the 
work  of  strengthening  the  defenses  went  steadily  on.  Fresh  troops 
arrived  daily — from  the  South  by  cars — from  the  West  by  railroad 
and  canal ;  and  from  the  country  around  Richmond  they  marched  in. 
Rumors  of  the  wildest  and  most  varied  sort  could  be  heard  at  any 
hour.  Now  Magruder  had  gained  a  terrible  victory  at  Big  Bethel, 
and  had  strewn  the  ground  for  miles  with  the  slain  and  spoils !  Then 
Johnston  had  met  the  enemy  at  Winchester  and,  after  oceans  of  blood, 
had  driven  him  from  the  field  in  utter  rout !  Again  Beauregard  had 
cut  McDowell  to  pieces  and  planted  the  stars-and-bars  over  Alexan- 
dria and  Arlington  Heights !  Such  was  the  morbid  state  of  the  pub- 
lic mind  that  any  rumor,  however  fanciful,  received  some  credit. 

Each  night  some  regiments  broke  camp  noiselessly  and  filed 
through  the  streets  like  the  army  of  specters  that 

"  Beleaguered  the  walls  of  Prague," 

to  fill  a  train  on  the  Central,  or  Fredericksburg  road,  en  route  for  Ma- 
nassas. Constantly,  at  gray  dawn  the  dull,  rumbling  sound,  cut 
sharply  by  the  clear  note  of  the  bugle,  told  of  moving  batteries ;  and 
the  tramp  of  cavalry  became  so  accustomed  a  sound,  that  people 
scarcely  left  their  work  even  to  cheer  the  wild  and  rugged-looking 
horsemen  passing  by. 


I2O  Four  Years  in  Rebel  Capitals. 

Then  it  began  to  be  understood,  all  over  the  country,  that  the  great 
advance  would  be  over  the  Potomac ;  that  the  first  decisive  battle 
would  be  joined  by  the  Army  of  the  Shenandoah,  or  that  of  Manas- 
sas. 

A  hushed,  feverish  suspense — like  the  sultry  stillness  before  the 
burst  of  the  storm — brooded  over  the  land,  shared  alike  by  the  peo- 
ple and  government. 

My  old  friend — the  colonel  of  the  "  Ranche  "  and  "Zouave  "  mem- 
ory— was  stationed  at  Richmond  headquarters.  Many  were  the 
tribulations  that  sorely  beset  the  soul  of  that  old  soldier  and  club- 
man. He  had  served  so  long  with  regulars  that  he  could  not  get  ac- 
customed to  the  irregularities  of  the  "mustangs,"  as  he  called  the 
volunteers ;  many  were  the  culinary  grievances  of  which  he  relieved 
his  rotund  breast  to  me ;  and  numerous  were  the  early  bits  of  news 
he  confidentially  dropped  into  my  ear,  before  they  were  known  else- 
where. 

The  evening  of  the  i8th  of  July — hot,  sultry  and  threatening 
rain — had  been  more  quiet  than  usual.  Not  a  rumor  had  been  set 
afloat ;  and  the  monotony  was  only  broken  by  a  group  of  officers 
about  the  "Spotswood"  discussing  Bethel,  Rich  Mountain  and  the 
chances  of  the  next  fight.  One  of  them,  with  three  stars  on  his  col- 
lar, had  just  declared  his  conviction  : 

"  It's  only  a  feint,  major  !  McDowell  is  too  old  a  soldier  to  risk  a 
fight  on  the  Potomac  line — too  far  from  his  base,  sir !  He'll  amuse 
Beauregard  and  Johnston  while  they  sweep  down  on  Magruder.  I 
want  my  orders  for  Yorktown.  Mark  my  words  !  What  is  it,  adju- 
tant ?  "  The  colonel  talked  on  as  he  opened  and  read  a  paper  the 
lieutenant  handed  him — "Hello!  Adjutant,  read  that!  Boys,  I'm 
off  for  Manassas  to-night.  Turning  my  back  on  a  fight,  by !" 

Just  then  I  felt  a  hand  on  my  shoulder ;  and  turning,  saw  my 
colonel  with  his  round  face — graver  than  usual — near  mine.  The 
thought  of  some  devilish  invention  in  the  pudding  line  flashed  across 
me,  but  his  first  word  put  cooks  and  dinners  out  of  my  mind. 

"The  ball's  open,  egad!"  he  said  seriously.  "We  whipped 
McDowell's  advance  at  Bull  Run  to-day,  sir!  Drove  'em  back,  sir! 
Did  you  hear  that  mustang  colonel  ?  Turning  his  back  on  a  fight ! 
Egad,  he'll  turn  his  stomach  on  it  before  the  week's  out ! " 

It  was  true.     How  McDowell's   right   had   essayed  to  cross  at 


Four  Years  in  Rebel  Capitals.  121 

Blackburn's  Ford ;  how  Longstreet's  Virginians  and  the  Washington 
Artillery  met  them ;  and  how,  after  a  sharp  fight,  they  retired  and 
gave  up  the  ford  is  too  well  known  history  to  be  repeated  here. 

In  an  hour  the  news  was  public  in  Richmond  and — though  received 
with  a  deep,  grave  joy — braced  every  nerve  and  steadied  every  pulse  in 
it.  There  was  no  distaste  to  face  the  real  danger  when  it  showed  itself; 
it  was  only  the  sickening  suspense  that  was  unbearable.  No  one  in  the 
city  had  really  doubted  the  result,  from  the  first ;  and  the  news  from 
the  prelude  to  the  terrible  and  decisive  fight,  yet  to  come,  but  braced 
the  people,  as  a  stimulant  may  the  fevered  patient. 

The  heavy  pattering  of  the  first  drops  had  come,  and  the  strained 
hush  was  broken. 

Beauregard  telegraphed  that  the  success  of  Bull  Run  was  complete ; 
-that  his  men  had  borne  their  baptism  of  fire,  with  the  steadiness  of 
veterans ;  and  that  a  few  da5>-s — hours,  perhaps — must  bring  the  gen- 
eral assault  upon  his  lines. 

He  urged  that  every  available  man  should  be  sent  him ;  and  with- 
in twenty-four  hours  from  the  receipt  of  his  despatch,  there  was  not 
a  company  left  in  Richmond  that  had  arms  to  carry  him. 

Surgeons  were  sent  up ;  volunteer  doctors  applied  by  dozens  for 
permission  to  go ;  ambulance  trains  were  put  upon  the  road,  in  read- 
iness at  a  moment's  warning.  Baskets  of  delicacies  and  rare  old  wines 
and  pure  liquors ;  great  bundles  of  bandages  and  lint,  prepared  by 
the  daintiest  fingers  in  the  "Old  Dominion;"  cots,  mattresses  and  pil- 
lows— all  crowded  in  at  the  medical  purveyor's.  Then  Richmond, 
having  done  all  she  could  for  the  present,  drew  a  deep  breath  and 
waited. 

But  she  waited  not  unhopefully ! 

Every  eye  was  strained  to  Manassas  plains ;  every  heart  throbbed 
stronger  at  the  mention  of  that  name.  All  knew  that  there  the  giants 
were  soon  to  clinch  in  deadly  wrestle  for^the  mastery ;  that  the  strug- 
gle was  now  at  hand,  when  the  flag  of  the  South  would  be  carried 
high  in  triumph  or  trampled  in  the  dust ! 

But  no  one  doubted  the  true  hearts  and  firm  hands  that  had  gath- 
ered there  to  uphold  that  banner ! 

No  one  doubted  that,  though  the  best  blood  of  the  South  might 
redden  its  folds,  it  would  still  float  proudly  over  the  field — conse- 
crated, but  unstained ! 


122  Four  Years  in  Rebel  Capitals. 


CHAPTER    XV. 

AFTER     MANASSAS. 

By  noon  on  the  2ist  of  July  the  quidnuncs  found  out  that  the  Presi- 
dent had  left  that  morning,  on  a  special  train  and  with  a  volunteer 
staff,  for  Manassas.  This  set  the  whole  tribe  agog,  and  wonderful 
were  the  speculations  and  rumors  that  flew  about.  By  night,  certain 
news  came  that  the  battle  had  raged  fiercely  all  day,  and  the  sun  had 
gone  down  on  a  complete,  but  bloody,  victory.  One  universal  thrill 
of  joy  went  through  the  city,  quickly  stilled  and  followed  by  the  gasp 
of  agonized  suspense.  The  dense  crowds,  collected  about  all  proba- 
ble points  of  information,  were  silent  after  the  great  roar  of  triumph 
went  up  at  the  first  announcement.  The  mixed  pressure  of  grave, 
voiceless  thankfulness  and  strained  anxiety,  was  too  deep  for  words ; 
and  they  stood  still — expectant. 

By  midnight  the  main  result  of  the  day's  fight  was  known  beyond 
a  doubt ;  how  the  enemy,  in  heavy  masses,  had  attacked  the  Confed- 
erate left,  and  hurled  it  back  and  around,  entirely  flanking  it ;  how 
the  raw  troops  had  contested  every  inch  of  ground  with  stubborn 
valor,  but  still  gave  way  until  the  change  of  front  had  made  itself ; 
how  the  supports  brought  up  from  the  right  and  center — where  a  force 
had  to  be  maintained  to  face  the  masses  threatening  them — came  only 
to  meet  fresh  masses  that  they  could  only  check,  not  break ;  how  the 
battle  was  at  one  time  really  lost ! 

When  science  had  done  all  it  could  to  retrieve  the  day,  but  the 
most  obstinate  even  of  the  southern  troops — after  doing  more  than 
desperate  courage  and  determined  pluck  could  warrant — were  break- 
ing and  giving  way,  then  the  wild  yell  of  Elzey's  brigade  broke 
through  the  pines  like  a  clarion  !  On  came  that  devoted  band,  breath- 
less and  worn  with  their  run  from  the  railroad  ;  eight  hundred  Mary- 
landers — and  only  two  companies  of  these  with  bayonets — leading 
the  charge !  On  they  came,  their  yells  piercing  the  woods  before 
they  are  yet  visible;  and,  as  if  by  magic,  the  tide  of  battle  turned  ! 
The  tired,  worn  ranks,  all  day  battered  by  the  ceaseless  hail  of  death, 


Four  Years  in  Rebel  Capitals.  123 

catch  that  shout,  and  answering  it,  breast  the  storm  again ;  regiment 
after  regiment  hears  the  yell,  and  echoes  it  with  a  wild  swelling 
chorus  !  And  ever  on  rush  the  fresh  troops — past  their  weary  broth- 
ers, into  the  hottest  of  the  deadly  rain  of  fire — wherever  the  blue 
coats  are  thickest !  Their  front  lines  waver — General  Smith  falls,  but 
Elzey  gains  the  crest  of  the  plateau — like  a  fire  in  the  prairie  spreads 
the  contagion  of  fear — line  after  line  melts  before  the  hot  blast  of  that 
charge — a  moment  more  and  the  "Grand  Army"  is  mixed  in  a 
straining,  struggling,  chaotic  mass  in  the  race  for  life — the  battle  is 
won ! 

I  have  heard  the  fight  discussed  by  actors  in  it  on  both  sides;  have 
read  accounts  from  northern  penny  a-liners,  and  English  correspond- 
ents whose  pay  depended  upon  their  neutrality ;  and  all  agree  that 
the  battle  was  saved  by  the  advent  of  Kirby  Smith,  just  at  that  criti- 
cal moment  when  the  numbers  of  the  North  were  sweeping  resistlessly 
over  the  broken  and  worn  troops  of  the  South.  Elzey's  brigade  no 
doubt  saved  the  day,  for  they  created  the  panic. 

"But  I  look  upon  it  as  a  most  causeless  one,"  once  said  an  Aus- 
trian officer  to  me,  "for  had  the  Federals  stood  but  half  an  hour 
longer — which,  with  their  position  and  supports,  there  was  no  earthly 
reason  for  their  not  doing — there  could  have  been  but  one  result. 
Smith's  forces  could  not  have  held  their  own  that  much  longer  against 
overwhelming  numbers;  and  the  weary  troops  who  had  been  fighting 
all  day  could  not  even  have  supported  them  in  a  heavy  fight.  Had 
Smith  reached  the  scene  of  action  at  morning  instead  of  noon,  he, 
too,  might  have  shared  the  general  fate,  and  a  far  different  page  of 
history  been  written.  Coming  as  he  did,  I  doubt  not  the  battle  turned 
upon  his  advent.  The  main  difference  I  see,"  he  added,  "  is  that  the 
Confederates  were  whipped  for  several  hours  and  didn't  know  it;  but 
just  as  the  Federals  found  it  out  and  were  about  to  close  their  hands 
upon  the  victory  already  in  their  grasp,  they  were  struck  with  a  panic 
and  ran  away  from  it ! " 

By  midnight  the  anxious  crowds  in  Richmond  streets  knew  that 
the  fight  was  over, 

"  And  the  red  field  was  won !  " 

But  the  first  arrivals  were  ominous  ones — splashed  and  muddy  hos- 
pital stewards  and  quartermaster's  men,  who  wanted  more  stretchers 
and  instruments,  more  tourniquets  and  stimulants;  and  their  stories 


124  Four  Years  in  Rebel  Capitals. 

threw  a  deeper  gloom  over  the  crowds  that — collected  at  departments, 
hotels  and  depots — spoke  in  hushed  whispers  their  words  of  solemn 
triumph,  of  hope,  or  of  suspense.  They  told  that  almost  every  regi- 
ment had  been  badly  cut  up — that  the  slaughter  of  the  best  and  bravest 
had  been  terrible— that  the  "Hampton  Legion  "was  annihilated— 
Hampton  himself  killed— Beauregard  was  wounded— Kirby  Smith 
killed — the  first  Virginia  was  cut  to  pieces  and  the  Alabama  troops 
swept  from  the  face  of  the  earth.  These  were  some  of  the  wild  rumors 
they  spread;  eagerly  caught  up  and  echoed  from  mouth  to  mouth 
with  a  reliance  on  their  truth  to  be  expected  from  the  morbid  anxiety. 
No  one  reflected  that  these  men  must  have  left  Manassas  before  the 
righting  was  even  hotly  joined ;  and  could  only  have  gained  their  di- 
luted intelligence  from  the  rumors  at  way-stations.  As  yet  the  cant 
of  camp  followers  was  new  to  the  people,  who  listened  as  though 
these  terrible  things  must  be  true  to  be  related. 

There  was  no  sleep  in  Richmond  that  night.  Men  and  women 
gathered  in  knots  and  huddled  into  groups  on  the  corners  and  door- 
steps, and  the  black  shadow  of  some  dreadful  calamity  seemed  brood- 
ing over  every  rooftree.  Each  splashed  and  weary-looking  man  was 
stopped  and  surrounded  by  crowds,  who  poured  varied  and  anxious 
questioning  upon  him.  The  weak  treble  of  gray-haired  old  men  be- 
sought news  of  son,  or  grandson ;  and  on  the  edge  of  every  group, 
pale,  beseeching  faces  mutely  pleaded  with  sad,  tearless  eyes,  for  tid- 
ings of  brother,  husband,  or  lover. 

But  there  was  no  despairing  weakness,  and  every  one  went  sadly 
but  steadily  to  work  to  give  what  aid  they  might.  Rare  stores  of  old 
wines  were  freely  given ;  baskets  of  cordials  and  rolls  of  lint  were 
brought ;  and  often  that  night,  as  the  women  leaned  over  the  baskets 
they  so  carefully  packed,  bitter  tears  rolled  from  their  pale  cheeks 
and  fell  noiselessly  on  bandage  and  lint.  For  who  could  tell  but  that 
very  piece  of  linen  might  bind  the  sore  wound  of  one  far  dearer  than 
life. 

Slowly  the  night  wore  on,  trains  coming  in  occasionally  only  to 
disappoint  the  crowds  that  rushed  to  surround  them.  No  one  came 
who  had  seen  the  battle — all  had  heard  what  they  related.  And  though 
no  man  was  base  enough  to  play  upon  feelings  such  as  theirs,  the 
love  of  common  natures  for  being  oracles  carried  them  away ;  and 
they  repeated  far  more  even  than  that.  Next  day  the  news  was  more 


Four  Years  in  Rebel  Capitals.  125 

full,  and  the  details  of  the  fight  came  in  with  some  lists  of  the  wound- 
ed. The  victory  was  dearly  bought.  Bee,  Bartow,  Johnson,  and 
others  equally  valuable,  were  dead.  Some  of  the  best  and  bravest 
from  every  state  had  sealed  their  devotion  to  the  flag  with  their  blood. 
Still,  so  immense  were  the  consequences  of  the  victory  now  judged  to 
be,  that  even  the  wildest  rumors  of  the  day  before  had  not  told  one 
half. 

At  night  the  President  returned ;  and  on  the  train  with  him  were 
the  bodies  of  the  dead  generals,  with  their  garde  d'honneur.  These 
proceeded  to  the  Capitol,  while  Mr.  Davis  went  to  the  Spotswood 
and  addressed  a  vast  crowd  that  had  collected  before  it.  He  told 
them  in  simple,  but  glowing,  language  that  the  first  blow  for  liberty 
had  been  struck  and  struck  home ;  that  the  hosts  of  the  North  had 
been  scattered  like  chaff  before  southern  might  and  southern  right; 
that  the  cause  was  just  and  must  prevail.  Then  he  spoke  words  of 
consolation  to  the  stricken  city.  Many  of  her  noblest  were  spared ; 
the  wounded  had  reaped  a  glory  far  beyond  the  scars  they  bore ;  the 
dead  were  honored  far  beyond  the  living,  and  future  generations 
should  twine  the  laurel  for  their  crown. 

The  great  crowd  listened  with  breathless  interest  to  his  lightest 
word.  Old  men,  resting  on  their  staves,  erected  themselves ;  reck- 
less boys  were  quiet  and  still ;  and  the  pale  faces  of  the  women,  fur- 
rowed with  tears,  looked  up  at  him  till  the  color  came  back  to  their 
cheeks  and  their  eyes  dried.  Of  a  truth,  he  was  still  their  idol.  As 
yet  they  hung  upon  his  lightest  word,  and  believed  that  what  he  did 
was  best. 

Then  the  crowd  dispersed,  many  mournfully  wending  their  way 
to  the  Capitol  where  the  dead  officers  lay  in  state,  wrapped  in  the 
flag  of  the  new  victory.  An  hour  after,  the  rain  descending  in  tor- 
rents, the  first  ambulance  train  arrived. 

First  came  forth  the  slightly  wounded,  with  bandaged  heads,  arms 
in  slings,  or  with  painful  limp. 

Then  came  ugly,  narrow  boxes  of  rough  plank.  These  were  ten- 
derly handled,  and  the  soldiers  who  bore  them  upon  their  shoulders 
carried  sad  faces,  too ;  for  happily  as  yet  the  death  of  friends  in  the 
South  was  not  made,  by  familiarity,  a  thing  of  course.  And  lastly — 
lifted  so  gently,  and  suffering  so  patiently — came  the  ghastly  burdens  of 
the  stretchers.  Strong  men,  maimed  and  torn,  their  muscular  hands 


126  Four  Years  in  Rebel  Capitals. 

straining  the  handles  of  the  litter  with  the  bitter  effort  to  repress 
complaint,  the  horrid  crimson  ooze  marking  the  rough  cloths  thrown 
over  them;  delicate,  fair-browed  boys,  who  had  gone  forth  a  few 
days  back  so  full  of  life  and  hope,  now  gory  and  livid,  with  clenched 
teeth  and  matted  hair,  and  eyeballs  straining  for  the  loved  faces  that 
must  be  there  to  wait  them. 

It  was  a  strange  crowd  that  stood  there  in  the  driving  storm,  lit 
up  by  the  fitful  flashes  of  the  moving  lanterns. 

The  whole  city  was  there — the  rich  merchant — the  rough  laborer 
— the  heavy  features  of  the  sturdy  serving-woman — the  dusky,  but 
loving  face  of  the  negro — the  delicate  profile  of  the  petted  belle — all 
strained  forward  in  the  same  intent  gaze,  as  car  after  car  was  emptied 
of  its  ghastly  freight.  There,  under  the  pitiless  storm,  they  stood  silent 
and  still,  careless  of  its  fury — not  a  sound  breaking  the  perfect  hush, 
in  which  the  measured  tramp  of  the  carriers,  or  the  half-repressed 
groan  of  the  wounded,  sounded  painfully  distinct. 

Now  and  then,  as  a  limping  soldier  was  recognized,  would  come  a 
rush  and  a  cry  of  joy — strong  arms  were  given  to  support  him — ten- 
der hands  were  laid  upon  his  hair — and  warm  lips  were  pressed  to 
his  blanched  cheek,  drenched  with  the  storm. 

Here  some  wife,  or  sister,  dropped  bitter  tears  on  the  unconscious 
face  of  the  household  darling,  as  she  walked  by  the  stretcher  where 
he  writhed  in  fevered  agony.  There 

"The  shrill-edged  shriek  of  the  mother  divided  the  shuddering  night/' 
as  she  threw  herself  prone  on   the  rough  pine  box ;    or  the  wild, 
wordless  wail  of  sudden  widowhood  was  torn  from  the  inmost  heart 
of  some  stricken  creature  who  had  hoped  in  vain! 

There  was  a  vague,  unconscious  feeling  of  joy  in  those  who  had 
found  their  darlings — even  shattered  and  maimed  ;  an  unbearable  and 
leaden  weight  of  agonizing  suspense  and  dread  hung  over  those  who 
could  hear  nothing.  Many  wandered  restlessly  about  the  Capitol, 
ever  and  anon  questioning  the  guard  around  the  dead  generals ;  but 
the  sturdy  men  of  the  Legion  could  ^only  give  kindly  and  vague 
answers  that  but  heightened  the  feverish  anxiety. 

Day  after  day  the  ambulance  trains  came  in  bearing  their  sad  bur- 
dens, and  the  same  scene  was  ever  enacted.  Strangers,  miles  from 
home,  met  the  same  care  as  the  brothers  and  husbands  of  Richmond ; 
and  the  meanest  private  was  as  much  a  hero  as  the  tinseled  officer. 


Four  Years  in  Rebel  Capitals.  127 

It  is  strange  how  soon  even  the  gentlest  natures  gain  a  familiarity 
with  suffering  and  death.  The  awfulness  and  solemnity  of  the  unac- 
customed sight  loses  rapidly  by  daily  contact  with  it ;  even  though 
the  sentiments  of  sympathy  and  pity  may  not  grow  callous  as  well. 
But,  as  yet,  Richmond  was  new  to  such  scenes ;  and  a  shudder  went 
through  the  whole  social  fabric  at  the  shattering  and  tearing  of  the 
fair  forms  so  well  known  and  so  dear. 

Gradually — very  gradually — the  echoes  of  the  fight  rolled  into 
distance ;  the  wildest  wailing  settled  to  the  steady  sob  of  suffering, 
and  Richmond  went  her  way,  with  only  here  and  there  a  wreck  of 
manhood,  or  pale-faced  woman  in  deepest  mourning,  to  recall  the 
fever  of  that  fearful  night. 

Though  the  after  effect  of  Manassas  proved  undoubtedly  bad,  the 
immediate  fruits  of  the  victory  were  of  incalculable  value.  Panic- 
struck,  the  Federals  had  thrown  away  everything  that  could  impede 
their  flight.  Besides  fifty-four  pieces  of  artillery  of  all  kinds,  horses 
and  mules  in  large  numbers,  ammunition,  medical  stores  and  miles  of 
wagon  and  ambulance  trains,  near  six  thousand  stand  of  small  arms, 
of  the  newest  pattern  and  in  best  condition,  fell  into  the  hands  of 
the  half-armed  rebels. 

These  last  were  the  real  prize  of  the  victors,  putting  a  dozen  new 
regiments  waiting  only  for  arms,  at  once  on  an  effective  war-footing. 
Blankets,  tents  and  clothing  were  captured  in  bulk ;  nor  were  they 
to  be  despised  by  soldiers  who  had  left  home  with  knapsacks  as 
empty  as  those  of  Falstaff's  heroes. 

But  the  moral  effect  of  the  victory  was  to  elate  the  tone  of  the 
army  far  above  any  previous  act  of  the  war.  Already  prepared  not 
to  undervalue  their  own  prowess,  its  ease  and  completeness  left  a 
universal  sense  of  their  invincibility,  till  the  feeling  became  common 
in  the  ranks — and  spread  thence  to  the  people — that  one  southern 
man  was  worth  a  dozen  Yankees ;  and  that  if  they  did  not  come  in 
numbers  greater  than  five  to  one,  the  result  of  any  conflict  was  as- 
sured. 

Everything  was  going  smoothly.  The  first  rough  outlines  had  been 
laid  in,  with  bold  effectiveness,  a  rosy  cloud  floated  over  the  grim 
distance  of  the  war ;  and  in  the  foreground — only  brilliant  and  victo- 
rious action. 

The  Confederate  loss,  too,  was  much  smaller  than  at  first  supposed, 


iz8  Four  Years  in  Rebel  Capitals. 

not  exceeding  eighteen  hundred  j  and  many  of  the  slightly  wounded 
began  already  to  hobble  about  again,  petted  by  the  communities 
and  justly  proud  of  their  crutches  and  scars.  The  Federal  loss  was 
harder  to  estimate.  Many  of  their  wounded  had  been  borne  away 
by  the  rush  of  the  retreat ;  the  Government,  naturally  anxious  to  calm 
the  public  mind  of  the  North,  made  incomplete  returns ;  while  large 
numbers  of  uncounted  dead  had  been  buried  on  the  field  and  along 
the  line  of  retreat,  both  by  the  victorious  army  and  country  people. 
From  the  best  data  obtainable,  their  loss  could  not  have  been  much 
short,  if  at  all  short,  of  five  thousand.  The  army  was  satisfied,  the 
country  was  satisfied,  and,  unfortunately,  the  Government  was  satis- 
fied. 

Among  the  people  there  was  a  universal  belief  in  an  immediate 
advance.  The  army  that  had  been  the  main  bulwark  of  the  National 
Capital  was  rushing — a  panic-stricken  herd — into  and  beyond  it ;  the 
fortifications  were  perfectly  uncovered  and  their  small  garrisons  ut- 
terly demoralized  by  the  woe-begone  and  terrified  fugitives  constantly 
streaming  by  them.  The  triumphant  legions  of  the  South  were  al- 
most near  enough  for  their  battle-cry  to  be  heard  in  the  Cabinet ; 
and  the  southern  people  could  not  believe  that  the  bright  victory  that 
had  perched  upon  their  banners  would  be  allowed  to  fold  her  wings 
before  another  and  bloodier  flight,  that  would  leave  the  North  pros- 
trate at  her  feet.  Day  after  day  they  waited  and — the  wish  being 
father  to  the  thought — day  after  day  the  sun  rose  on  fresh  stories  of  an 
advance — a  bloody  fight — a  splendid  victory — or  the  capture  of 
Washington.  But  the  sun  always  set  on  an  authoritative  contradic- 
tion of  them ;  and  at  last  the  excitement  was  forced  to  settle  down 
on  the  news  that  General  Johnston  had  extended  his  pickets  as  far  as 
Mason's  and  Munson's  hills,  and  the  army  had  gone  into  camp  on 
the  field  it  had  so  bloodily  won  the  week  before. 


Four  Years  in  Rebel  Capitals.  129 


CHAPTER  XVI. 

THE    SPAWN   OF    LETHARGY. 

Considering  the  surroundings,  it  seems  inevitable  that  the  lull  after 
the  first  great  victory  should  have  been  followed  by  reaction,  all  over 
the  South ;  and  that  reasons — as  ridiculous  as  they  were  numerous — 
should  have  been  assigned  for  inaction  that  appeared  so  unwarranted. 

Discontent — at  first  whispered,  and  coming  as  the  wind  cometh — 
gradually  took  tongue ;  and  discussion  of  the  situation  grew  loud  and 
varied.  One  side  declared  that  the  orders  for  a  general  advance  had 
been  already  given,  when  the  President  countermanded  them  upon 
the  field,  and  sent  orders  by  General  Bonham  to  withdraw  the  pur- 
suit. Another  version  of  this  reason  was  that  there  had  been  a  coun- 
cil of  the  generals  and  Mr.  Davis,  at  which  it  was  agreed  that  the 
North  must  how  be  convinced  of  the  utter  futility  of  persisting  in  in- 
vasion ;  and  that  in  the  reaction  her  conservative  men  would  make 
themselves  heard ;  whereas  the  occupation  of  Washington  would  in- 
flame the  North  and  cause  the  people  to  rise  as  one  man  for  the  defense 
of  their  capital.  An  even  wilder  theory  found  believers ;  that  the  war 
in  the  South  was  simply  one  of  defense,  and  crossing  the  Potomac 
would  be  invasion,  the  effect  of  which  would  retard  recognition  from 
abroad.  Another  again  declared  that  there  was  a  jealousy  between 
Generals  Johnston  and  Beauregard,  and  between  each  of  them  and 
the  President,  that  prevented  concert  of  action. 

The  people  of  the  South  were  eminently  democratic  and  had  their 
own  views — which  they  expressed  with  energy  and  vim — on  all  sub- 
jects during  the  war;  so  these  theories,  to  account  for  the  paralysis 
after  Manassas,  were  each  in  turn  discussed,  and  each  found  warm 
defenders.  But  gradually  it  came  to  be  generally  conceded  that  none 
of  them  could  be  the  true  one.  The  President  took  no  command  on 
his  visit  to  Manassas,  for  he  reached  the  field  only  after  the  battle 
had  been  won  and  the  flight  commenced.  Any  suggestions  that 
occurred  to  him  were  naturally  made  to  General  Johnston.  There  is 
good  authority  for  stating  that  he  did  not  make  any  criticism  on  one 

9 


130  Four  Years  in  Rebel  Capitals. 

material  point,  stating  to  both  generals  that  the  whole  plan,  conduct 
and  result  of  the  battle  met  his  fullest  approval ;  and  on  reflection  the 
whole  people  felt  that  their  chief  was  too  much  a  soldier  to  have  com- 
mitted the  gross  breach  of  discipline  indicated.  The  story  of  the 
council  came  to  be  regarded  as  a  silly  fabrication.  The  fear  of  in- 
flaming the  North,  coming  on  the  heels  of  a  complete  and  bloody 
victory,  was  about  as  funny  as  for  a  pugilist  whose  antagonist's  head 
was  "  in  chancery"  to  cease  striking  lest  he  should  anger  him  ;  and 
events  immediately  following  Manassas  showed  there  could  be  little 
jealousy  or  pique  between  the  generals,  or  between  them  and  the 
President.  General  Johnston,  with  the  magnanimity  of  the  true 
knight  his  whole  career  has  shown  him  to  be,  declared  that  the  credit 
of  the  plan  and  choice  of  the  field  of  battle  was  due  to  General  Beau- 
regard  ;  and  Mr.  Davis'  proclamation  on  the  success  was  couched  in 
language  that  breathed  only  the  most  honest  commendation  of  both 
generals  and  of  their  strategy.  The  fear  of  invasion  prejudicing  opin- 
ion abroad  was  as  little  believed  as  the  other  stories,  for — outside  of 
a  small  clique — there  grew  up  at  this  time  all  over  the  South  such  a 
perfect  confidence  in  its  strength  and  its  perfect  ability  to  work  its 
own  oracle,  that  very  little  care  was  felt  for  the  action  of  Europe. 
In  fact,  the  people  were  just  now  quite  willing  to  wait  for  recognition 
of  their  independence  by  European  powers,  until  it  was  already 
achieved.  So,  gradually  the  public  mind  settled  down  to  the  true 
reasons  that  mainly  prevented  the  immediate  following  up  of  the  victory. 
A  battle  under  all  circumstances  is  a  great  confusion.  With  raw 
troops,  who  had  never  before  been  under  fire,  and  who  had  been 
all  day  fiercely  contending,  until  broken  and  disordered,  the  con- 
fusion must  necessarily  have  been  universal.  As  they  broke,  or  fell 
back,  brigade  overlapped  brigade,  company  mixed  with  company, 
and  officers  lost  their  regiments.  The  face  of  the  country,  covered 
with  thick  underbrush,  added  to  this  result ;  so  that  when  the  enemy 
broke  and  the  rout  commenced,  it  was  hard  to  tell  whether  pursuers 
or  pursued  were  the  most  disorganized  mass.  The  army  of  Manas- 
sas was  almost  entirely  undisciplined,  and  had  never  before  felt 
the  intoxication  of  battle.  On  that  terrible  day  it  had  fought 
with  tenacity  and  pluck  that  belonged  to  the  race;  but  it  had 
largely  been  on  the  principle  prevalent  at  weddings  in  the  "ould 
•country" — when  you  see  a  head,  hit  it!  The  few  officers  who  de- 


Four   Years  in  Rebel  Capitals.  131 

sired  a  disciplined  resistance  soon  saw  the  futility  of  obtaining  it, 
and  felt  that  as  the  men,  individually,  were  fighting  bravely  and 
stubbornly,  it  were  better  only  to  hold  them  to  that.  When  the  pur- 
suit came,  the  men  were  utterly  worn  and  exhausted ;  but,  burning 
with  the  glow  of  battle,  they  followed  the  flying  masses  fast  and  far 
— each  one  led  by  his  own  instincts  and  rarely  twenty  of  a  company 
together. 

A  major-general,  who  left  his  leg  on  a  later  field,  carried  his  com- 
pany into  this  fight.  During  the  pursuit  he  led  it  through  a  by-path 
to  intercept  a  battery  spurring  down  the  road  at  full  speed.  They 
overtook  it,  mastered  the  gunners  and  turned  the  horses  out  of  the 
press.  In  the  deepening  twilight,  he  turned  to  thank  the  company, 
and  found  it  composed  of  three  of  his  own  men,  two  "  Tiger  Rifles," 
a  Washington  artilleryman,  three  dismounted  cavalry  of  the  "  Le- 
gion," a  doctor,  a  quartermaster's  clerk,  and  the  Rev.  Chaplain  of 
the  First ! 

This  was  but  a  specimen  of  the  style  of  the  pursuit.  There  was 
but  little  cavalry — one  regiment  under  Lieutenant-Colonel  Stuart  and 
a  few  single  companies.  No  one  brigade  could  be  collected  in  any- 
thing like  order;  night  was  deepening  and  the  enemy's  flight  was 
approaching  what  was  reasonably  supposed  to  be  his  reserve.  Under 
these  circumstances  it  was  apparent  that  prudence,  if  not  necessity, 
dictated  calling  in  the  pursuit  by  the  disordered  troops.  General  Bon- 
ham — the  ranking  officer  in  front — saw  this  plainly ;  and  on  his  own 
authority  gave  the  order  that  appeared  most  proper  to  him.  I  never 
heard  that,  at  this  time,  it  was  objected  to  by  his  superior  officers. 

Moreover,  it  was  not  only  the  demoralization  caused  by  the  pursuit 
that  was  sufficient  reason  for  not  following  up  Manassas.  The  army, 
ordinarily,  was  not  in  a  condition  to  advance  into  an  enemy's  coun- 
try, away  from  its  regular  communications.  In  the  first  place,  there 
was  no  transportation,  and  the  arms  were  bad.  It  was  a  work  of 
time  to  utilize  the  spoils  ;  to  distribute  arms  where  most  needed;  to  put 
the  captured  batteries  in  condition  for  use ;  and  to  replace  with  the 
splendid  ambulances  and  army  wagons,  that  had  been  prepared  for 
the  holiday  march  to  Richmond,  the  hastily  and  clumsily-constructed 
ones  already  in  use ;  and  to  so  give  out  the  captured  horses  as  best 
to  utilize  them.  This  latter  was  of  the  utmost  moment  before  an 
advance  could  be  attempted.  The  Confederates  were  shorter  of 


132  Four  Years  in  Rebel  Capitals. 

transportation — even  of  defective  character — than  of  anything  else  ; 
and  for  days  after  the  fight  the  flood-gates  of  heaven  seemed  to  stand 
open,  to  deluge  the  country  around  Manassas  until  it  became  a  perfect 
lake  of  mud.  Roads  already  bad  were  washed  into  gullies;  holes 
generally  knee-deep  became  impassable.  It  is  perfectly  easy,  there- 
fore, to  understand  why,  for  a  week  after  the  battle,  delay  was  neces- 
sary ;  but  as  week  after  week  passed,  and  there  was  still  no  forward 
movement,  it  ceased  to  be  strange  that  the  people  should  murmur, 
and  ask  why  it  was  the  army  was  satisfied  with  laurels  easily  won  when 
fresh  ones  were  within  its  grasp.  All  felt  that  veteran  officers 
handling  raw  troops  had  to  be  more  careful  in  their  management, 
and  to  count  more  closely  before  putting  them  into  the  new  and 
dangerous  position  of  an  invading  army,  than  would  meet  with  the 
concurrence  of  a  populace  naturally  ardent  and  doubly  heated  by 
triumph. 

But  it  is  equally  true  that  for  ten  days  after  the  battle,  Washington 
lay  perfectly  at  the  mercy  of  the  South ;  and  by  that  time  the  army  of 
Manassas  was  in  better  condition  than  could  be  expected  later;  and 
it  was  anxious  to  move  forward. 

But  the  auspicious  moment  was  not  seized ;  time  was  given  for 
the  broken  fragments  of  the  Union  army  to  be  patched  again  into 
something  like  organization.  Fresh  forts  and  earthworks  were  hastily 
thrown  up ;  a  perfect  chain  of  defenses  formed  around  Washington, 
and  strongly  garrisoned.  The  pickets  of  the  opposing  armies  were 
near  enough  to  exchange  constant  shots,  and  even  occasional  "chaff." 

Still  there  was  no  movement ;  the  summer  wore  away  in  utter  in- 
activity. The  camp  at  Orange  Courthouse  began  to  be  looked  upon 
as  a  stationary  affair ;  while  the  usual  difficulties  of  camp  life — aggra- 
vated by  the  newness  of  the  troops  and  the  natural  indisposition  of 
the  southron  to  receive  discipline — began  to  show  themselves.  The 
army  at  this  time  was  principally  composed  of  the  better  educated 
and  better  conditioned  class,  who  were  the  first  to  volunteer ;  and  as  I 
have  already  said,  many  of  the  privates  were  men  of  high  position, 
culture  and  wealth.  Thus  composed,  it  was  equal  to  great  deeds  of 
gallantry  and  dash.  Elan  was  its  characteristic — but  it  was  hard  to 
reduce  to  the  stratified  regularity  of  an  army.  Napier  has  laid  down 
as  an  axiom  that  no  man  is  a  good  soldier  until  he  has  become  a  per- 
fect machine.  He  must  neither  reason  nor  think — only  obey.  Critics> 


Four  Years  in  Rebel  Capitals.  133 

perhaps  equally  competent,  in  reviewing  the  Crimean  war,  differ  from 
this  and  declare  the  main  advantage  of  the  French  troops  over  the 
Russian  was  a  certain  individuality — a  pride  in  themselves  and  their 
army  that  had  been  entirely  drilled  out  of  their  stolid  adversaries.  Be 
this  as  it  may,  the  esprit  de  corps  of  the  Frenchman  was  in  his  corps 
only  as  such ;  and  he  would  no  more  have  discussed  the  wisdom,  or 
prudence  of  any  order — even  in  his  own  mind — than  he  would  have 
thought  of  disobeying  it. 

The  steady-going  professional  men  who  sprung  to  arms  throughout 
the  South  could  face  a  deadly  fire,  without  blenching,  for  hours ;  but 
they  could  not  help  reasoning,  with  nothing  to  do  for  twenty  hours  out 
of  every  twenty-four. 

The  gay  young  graduates  of  the  promenade  and  ball-room  could 
march  steadily,  even  gaily,  into  the  fiery  belching  of  a  battery,  but 
they  could  not  learn  the  practice  of  unreasoning  blindness;  and  the 
staunch,  hard-fisted  countryman  felt  there  was  no  use  in  it — the 
thing  was  over  if  the  fighting  was  done — and  this  was  a  waste  of  time. 
Nostalgia — that  scourge  of  camps — began  to  creep  among  the  latter 
class ;  discontent  grew  apace  among  the  former.  Still  the  camp  was 
the  great  object  of  interest  for  miles  around ;  there  were  reviews, 
parades  and  division  dinners;  ladies  visited  and  inspected  it,  and 
some  even  lived  within  its  lines ;  but  the  tone  of  the  army  went  down 
gradually,  but  steadily.  During  the  summer  more  than  one  of  Beau- 
regard's  companies — though  of  the  best  material  and  with  a  brilliant 
record — had  to  be  mustered  out  as  "  useless  and  insubordinate."  Ex- 
cellence in  drill  and  attention  to  duty  both  decreased  ;  and  it  was  felt 
by  competent  judges  that  rust  was  gradually  eating  away  the  fabric  of 
the  army.  This  was  certainly  the  fault  to  a  great  extent  of  the  offi- 
cers, though  it  may,  in  part,  have  been  due  to  the  men  themselves. 
In  the  beginning  these  had  tried  honestly  to  choose  those  among  them 
best  fitted  for  command ;  but  like  all  volunteers,  they  fell  into  the 
grave  error  of  choosing  the  most  popular.  Almost  all  candidates  for 
office  were  equally  eligible  and  equally  untried ;  so  personal  consider- 
ations naturally  came  into  play.  Once  elected,  they  did  their  duty 
faithfully,  in  the  field ;  but  were  either  too  weak,  or  too  inexperienced, 
to  keep  the  strict  rules  of  discipline  applied  during  the  trying  inactivity 
of  camp ;  and  they  were  too  conscious  of  the  social  and  mental 
equality  of  their  men  to  enforce  the  distinction  between  officer  and 


134  Four  Years  in  Rebel  Capitals. 

private,  without  which  the  command  loses  half  its  weight.  In  some 
instances,  too,  the  desire  for  popularity  and  for  future  advancement 
at  the  hands  of  friends  and  neighbors  introduced  a  spirit  of  dem- 
agogism  hurtful  in  the  extreme. 

For  these  combined  reasons  the  army  of  Manassas,  which  a  few 
weeks  before  had  gone  so  gaily  "into  the  jaws  of  death,"  began  rap- 
idly to  mildew  through  warp  and  woof;  and  the  whole  texture  seemed 
on  the  point  of  giving  way. 

Thoughtful  men — who  had  waited  calmy  and  coolly  when  the  first 
burst  of  impatience  had  gone  up — began  now  to  ask  why  and  how 
long  this  lethargy  was  to  continue.  They  saw  its  bad  effects,  but  be- 
lieved that  at  the  next  blast  of  the  bugle  every  man  would  shake  off 
the  incubus  and  rise  in  his  might  a  patriot  soldier ;  they  saw  the  steady 
stream  of  men  from  North  and  West  pouring  into  Washington,  to  be 
at  once  bound  and  held  with  iron  bands  of  discipline — the  vast  prep- 
aration in  men,  equipments,  supplies  and  science  that  the  North  was 
.using  the  precious  days  granted  her  to  get  in  readiness  for  the  next 
shock.  But  they  felt  confident  that  the  southern  army — if  not 
allowed  to  rust  too  long — would  again  vindicate  the  name  it  had  won 
at  Manassas. 

These  thinkers  saw  that  some  branches  of  the  Government  still 
kept  up  its  preparations.  Throughout  the  length  of  the  land  found- 
ries were  going  up,  and  every  improvement  that  science  or  experi- 
ence could  suggest  was  making  in  the  construction  of  arms  and  ammu- 
nition ;  water-power,  everywhere  off  the  line  of  attack,  was  utilized 
for  powder-mills  and  rope-walks ;  every  cloth  factory  in  the  country 
was  subsidized ;  and  machinery  of  great  variety  and  power  was  being 
imported  on  Government  account.  Over  Richmond  constantly  hung 
a  dense  cloud  of  coal  smoke ;  and  the  incessant  buzz  of  machinery 
from  factories,  foundries  and  lathes,  told  of  increased  rather  than 
abated  effort  in  that  branch  of  the  Government.  Then,  too,  the 
most  perfect  confidence  was  felt  in  the  great  strategic  ability  of  Gen- 
eral Johnston — who  had  already  found  that  high  level  in  the  opinion 
of  his  countrymen,  from  which  neither  the  frowns  of  government,  the 
combination  of  cliques,  nor  the  tongues  of  slanderers  could  afterward 
remove  him. 

They  believed,  too,  in  the  pluck  and  dash  of  Beauregard ;  and, 
combining  this  with  the  outside  activity,  evident  in  every  direction, 


Four  Years  in  Rebel  Capitals.  135 

felt  there  must  be  good  and  sufficient  reason  for  the — to  them — inex- 
plicable quiet  about  the  Potomac. 

But  perhaps  the  very  worst  feature  was  the  effect  of  the  victory 
upon  the  tone  of  the  people  at  large.  The  very  tongues  that  had 
wagged  most  impatiently  at  the  first  delay — that  had  set  in  motion  the 
wild  stories  by  which  to  account  for  it — had  been  the  first  to  become 
blatant  that  the  North  was  conquered.  The  minutest  details  of  the 
fight  were  carried  over  the  land,  repeated  at  country  courts  and  am- 
plified at  bar-room  assemblages,  until  the  common  slang  was  every- 
where heard  that  one  Southron  was  equal  to  a  dozen  Yanks.  Instead 
of  using  the  time,  so  strangely  given  by  the  Government,  in  making 
earnest  and  steady  strides  toward  increasing  the  army,  improving  its 
morale  and  adding  to  its  supplies,  the  masses  of  the  country  were 
upon  a  rampage  of  boastfulness,  and  the  notes  of  an  inflated  triumph 
rang  from  the  Potomac  to  the  Gulf. 

In  this  regard  the  effect  of  the  victory  was  most  injurious;  and 
had  it  not  been  for  the  crushing  results — from  a  strategic  point  of 
view — that  would  have  followed  it,  partial  defeat  might  have  proved 
a  blessing  in  its  place. 

The  one,  while  it  threw  a  gloom  over  the  country,  would  have 
nerved  the  people  to  renewed  exertion  and  made  them  look  steadily 
and  unwaveringly  at  the  true  dangers  that  threatened  them.  The 
other  gave  them  time  to  fold  their  hands  and  indulge  in  a  compla- 
cency, ridiculous  as  it  was  enervating. 

They  ceased  to  realize  the  vast  resources  of  the  Union  in  men, 
money  and  supplies ;  and  more  than  all,  they  underrated  the  dogged 
perseverance  of  Yankee  character.  It  was  as  though  a  young  boxer, 
in  a  deadly  conflict  with  a  giant,  had  dealt  a  staggering  blow;  and 
while  the  Titan  braced  his  every  muscle  for  a  deadlier  gripe,  the 
weaker  antagonist  wasted  his  time  lauding  his  strength  and  feeling; 
his  biceps. 

Meantime,  the  keen,  hard  sense  of  the  Washington  Government 
wasted  no  time  in  utilizing  the  reaction  on  its  people.  The  press; 
and  the  public  clamored  for  a  victim,  and  General  Scott  was  thrown 
into  its  maw  unhesitatingly.  The  old  hero  was  replaced  by  the  new, 
and  General  McClellan — whose  untried  and  inexperienced  talent 
could  hardly  have  augured  his  becoming,  as  he  did,  the  best  general 
of  the  northern  army — was  elevated  to  his  place  to  please  the  "dear 
public." 


136  Four  Years  in  Rebel  Capitals. 

The  rabid  crowds  of  men  and  men-women — whose  prurient  curi- 
osity had  driven  them  to  follow  the  great  on-to-Richmond,  with  hopes 
of  a  first  view  of  the  triumphant  entry  of  the  Grand  Army— soon 
forgot  their  uncomfortable  and  terrified  scramble  to  the  rear.  They 
easily  changed  their  whine  of  terror  to  a  song  of  triumph ;  and  New 
England  Judiths,  burning  to  grasp  the  hair  of  the  Holofernes  over 
the  Potomac,  pricked  the  flagging  zeal  of  their  male  companions. 

The  peculiar  error  that  they  were  fighting  for  the  Union  and  the 
flag — So  cruelly  dissipated  of  late — threw  thousands  into  the  ranks ; 
heavy  bounties  and  hopes  of  plunder  drew  many  more  ;  and  the  still 
frequent  interstices  were  filled  with  many  an  Irish-German  amalgam, 
that  was  supposed  to  be  peculiarly  good  food  for  powder. 

And  so  the  summer  wore  on,  the  demoralizing  influence  of  the 
inaction  in  the  camps  of  the  South  increasing  toward  its  close.  The 
affair  at  Leesburg,  occurring  on  the  aoth  of  October,  was  another 
brilliant  success,  but  equally  barren  of  results.  It  showed  that  the 
men  would  still  fight  as  readily  and  as  fiercely,  and  that  their  officers 
would  lead  them  as  gallantly,  as  before ;  it  put  a  few  hundred  of  the 
enemy  hors  de  combat  and  maintained  "  the  right  of  way"  by  the 
river  to  the  South.  But  it  was  the  occasion  for  another  shout  of 
triumph — perfectly  incommensurate  with  its  importance — to  go  up 
from  the  people ;  and  it  taught  them  still  more  to  despise  and  un- 
derrate the  power  of  the  government  they  had  so  far  successfully 
and  brilliantly  defied. 

Elsewhere  than  on  the  Potomac  line,  the  case  had  been  a  little 
different.  Magruder,  on  the  Peninsula,  had  gained  no  success  of  note. 
A  few  unimportant  skirmishes  had  taken  place  and  the  Confederate 
lines  had  been  contracted — more  from  choice  than  necessity.  But 
the  combatants  were  near  enough — and  respected  each  other  enough 
— for  constant  watchfulness  to  be  considered  necessary ;  and,  though 
the  personnel  of  the  army  was,  perhaps,  not  as  good  as  that  of  the 
Potomac,  in  the  main  its  condition  was  better. 

At  Norfolk  nothing  had  been  done  but  to  strengthen  the  defenses. 
General  Huger  had  striven  to  keep  his  men  employed ;  and  they,  at 
least,  did  not  despise  the  enemy  that  frowned  at  them  from  Fort  Mon- 
roe, and  frequently  sent  messages  of  compliment  into  their  camps 
from  the  lips  of  the  "Sawyer  gun."  The  echo  of  the  paeans  from 
Manassas  came  back  to  them,  but  softened  by  distance  and  tempered 
by  their  own  experience — or  want  of  it. 


Four  Years  in  Rebel  Capitals.  137 

In  Western  Virginia  there  had  been  a  dull,  eventless  campaign,  of 
strategy  rather  than  action.  General  Wise  had  taken  command  on 
the  first  of  June,  and  early  in  August  had  been  followed  by  General 
John  B.  Floyd — the  ex-U.  S.  Secretary  of  War. 

These  two  commanders  unfortunately  disagreed  as  to  means  and 
conduct  of  the  campaign ;  and  General  R.  E.  Lee  was  sent  to  take 
general  command  on  this — his  first  theater  of  active  service.  His  man- 
agement of  the  campaign  was  much  criticised  in  many  quarters  ;  and 
the  public  verdict  seemed  to  be  that,  though  he  had  an.army  of  twenty 
thousand  men,  tolerably  equipped  and  familiar  with  the  country, 
Rosecrans  out-manoeuvered  him  and  accomplished  his  object  in  amus- 
ing so  considerable  a  Confederate  force.  Certain  it  is  that,  after 
fronting  Lee  at  Big  Sewell  for  ten  or  twelve  days,  he  suddenly  with- 
drew in  the  night,  without  giving  the  former  even  a  chance  for  a 
fight. 

The  dissatisfaction  was  universal  and  outspoken ;  nor  was  it  re- 
lieved by  the  several  brilliant  episodes  of  Gauley  and  Cotton  Hill, 
that  General  Floyd  managed  to  throw  into  his  dark  surroundings. 

It  is  hard  to  tell  how  much  foundation  the  press  and  the  public 
had  for  this  opinion.  There  had  been  no  decisive  disaster,  if  there 
had  been  no  actual  gain ;  and  the  main  result  had  been  to  maim  men 
and  show  that  both  sides  would  fight  well  enough  to  leave  all  collis- 
ions matters  of  doubt. 

It  may  not  here  be  out  of  place  to  correct  a  false  impression  that 
has  crept  mto  the  history  of  the  times  regarding  General  Floyd.  The 
courteous  press  of  the  North — and  not  a  few  political  enemies  who 
felt  safety  in  their  distance  from  him— constantly  branded  him  as 
"traitor"  and  "thief."  They  averred  that  he  had  misused  his  posi- 
tion and  betrayed  the  confidence  reposed  in  him  as  U.  S.  Secretary 
of  War,  to  send  government  arms  into  the  South  in  view  of  the  ap- 
proaching need  for  them.  Even  General  Scott — whose  position  must 
have  given  him  the  means  of  knowing  better — reiterates  these  calum- 
nies, the  falsity  of  which  the  least  investigation  exposed  at  once. 

Mr.  Buchanan,  in  his  late  book,  completely  exonerates  General 
Floyd  from  this  charge ;  and  the  committee  to  whom  it  was  referred 
reported  that  of  10,151  rifles  distributed  by  him  in  1860,  the  Southern 
and  South- Western  states  received  only  2,849! 

Followed  by  the  hate  of  one  government  to  receive  the  coldness 


138  Four  Years  in  Rebel  Capitals. 

of  the  other,  John  B.  Floyd  still  strove  with  all  his  strength  for  the 

cause  he  loved. 

"After  life's  fitful  fever  he  sleeps  well" 

in  his  dear  Virginia  soil ;  and  whatever  his  faults — whatever  his  errors 
— no  honest  man,  North  or  South,  but  must  rejoice  that  his  enemies 
even  acquitted  him  of  this  one. 

Then  the  results  elsewhere  had  not  been  very  encouraging  when 
compared  with  the  eastern  campaign  ;  though  Sterling  Price  had  man- 
aged to  more  than  hold  his  own  against  all  obstacles,  and  Jeff  Thomp- 
son had  been  doing  great  things  with  little  means  in  south-western 
Missouri. 

Still,  since  Rich  Mountain,  no  serious  disaster  had  befallen  Con- 
federate arms,  and  the  people  were  fain  to  be  satisfied. 


Four  Years  in  Rebel  Capitals.  139 


CHAPTER  XVII. 

FROM  COURT   TO   CAMP. 

The  winter  of  '61-2  set  in  early,  with  heavy  and  continued  rains. 
By  Christmas  the  whole  surface  of  the  country  had  been  more  than 
once  wrapped  in  heavy  snow,  leaving  lakes  of  mud  over  which  no 
wheeled  thing  could  work  its  way. 

Active  operations — along  the  whole  northern  frontier  at  least — 
were  certainly  suspended  until  spring;  and  both  armies  had  gone 
into  winter  quarters.  Military  men  agree  that  a  winter  in  camp  is 
the  most  demoralizing  influence  to  which  any  troops  can  be  sub- 
jected. To  the  new  soldiers  of  the  South  it  was  a  terrible  ordeal 
— not  so  much  from  the  actual  privations  they  were  called  upon  to 
endure  as  from  other  and  more  subtle  difficulties,  against  the  imper- 
ceptible approaches  of  which  they  could  not  guard.  The  Govern- 
ment had  used  every  effort  to  make  the  men  comfortable,  and  to 
supply  them  with  all  necessaries  at  its  disposal ;  but  still  there  were 
numerous  articles  it  could  not  command. 

The  good  caterers  at  home  spared  no  pains,  no  exercise  of  in- 
genuity, and  no  pinching  from  fireside  supplies,  to  make  the  loved 
ones  in  camp  comfortable.  The  country  had  not  begun  to  feel  the 
effects  of  actual  want  in  any  quarter  ;  but  increased  demand  had 
lessened  supplies  on  hand  and  somewhat  enhanced  prices ;  so  the  men 
were  comfortably  clothed,  fed  with  plain,  but  plentiful  and  wholesome 
food,  and  supplied  with  all  the  absolute  necessaries  of  camp  life. 
In  addition  to  these,  boxes  of  all  sizes,  shapes  and  contents  came 
into  the  camps  in  a  continuous  stream;  and  the  thousand  nameless 
trifles — so  precious  because  bearing  the  impress  of  home — were  re- 
ceived daily  in  every  mess  from  the  Rio  Grande  to  the  Potomac. 
Still,  as  the  winter  wore  on,  news  from  the  armies  became  gloomier 
and  gloomier,  and  each  successive  bulletin  bore  more  dispiriting  ac- 
counts of  discontent  and  privation,  sickness  and  death.  Men  who 
had  gone  into  their  first  fight  freely  and  gaily  ;  who  had  heard  the 
whistling  of  bullets  as  if  it  had  been  accustomed  music,  gave  way 
utterly  before  the  unseen  foes  of  "winter  quarters." 


140  Four  Years  in  Rebel  Capitals. 

Here  and  there,  a  disciplinarian  of  the  better  sort — who  com- 
bined philosophy  with  strictness — kept  his  men  in  rather  better  con- 
dition by  constant  watching,  frequent  and  regular  drills,  rapid 
marches  for  exercise,  and  occasional  change  of  camp.  But  this 
was  the  exception,  and  the  general  tone  was  miserable  and  gloomy. 
This  could  in  part  be  accounted  for  by  the  inexperience  of  the 
men,  and  of  their  immediate  commanders — the  company  officers — 
in  whose  hands  their  health  and  spirits  were  in  no  small  degree  re- 
posed. They  could  not  be  brought  to  the  use  of  those  little  appli- 
ances of  comfort  that  camp  life,  even  in  the  most  unfavorable  cir- 
cumstances,  can  afford — strict  attention  to  the  utmost  cleanliness  in 
their  persons  and  huts ;  care  in  the  preparation  of  their  food,  and  in 
its  cookery ;  and  careful  adherence  to  the  simple  hygienic  rules  laid 
down  in  constant  circulars  from  the  medical  and  other  depart- 
ments. Where  men  live  and  sleep  in  semi-frozen  mud,  and  breathe 
an  atmosphere  of  mist  and  brush  smoke — and  every  one  knows  the 
wonderfully  penetrating  power  of  camp-fire  smoke — it  is  not  to  be 
expected  that  their  comfort  is  enviably  great ;  especially  where 
they  have  left  comfortable  homes,  and  changed  their  well-prepared, 
if  simple,  food  for  the  hard  and  innutritious  army  ration.  But  such 
creatures  of  habit  are  we  that,  after  a  little,  we  manage  by  proper 
care  to  make  even  that  endurable. 

Soldiers  are  like  children,  and  require  careful  watching  and  con- 
stant reminding  that  these  small  matters — which  certainly  make  up  the 
sum  of  camp  life — should  be  carefully  attended  to  for  their  own  good. 
Rigid  discipline  in  their  enforcement  is  necessary  in  the  beginning 
to  get  novices  properly  started  in  the  grooves.  Once  set  going,  they 
soon  become  matters  of  course.  But  once  let  soldiers  get  accustomed 
to  careless  and  slovenly  habits,  and  no  amount  of  orders,  or  punish- 
ment, can  undo  the  mischief.  Unfortunately,  the  armies  of  the  South 
"began  wrong  this  first  winter,  and  the  descent  was  easy ;  and  they 
made  the  new  road  upon  which  they  had  entered  far  harder  than 
necessary,  by  neglecting  landmarks  so  plainly  written  that  he  who  runs 
may  read.  Nostalgia — that  scourge  of  camps — appeared  in  stubborn 
and  alarming  form ;  and  no  exertion  of  surgeon,  or  general^  served  to 
check  or  decrease  it.  Men,  collected  from  cities,  accustomed  to 
stated  hours  of  business  and  recreation,  and  whose  minds  were  accus- 
tomed to  some  exercise  and  excitement,  naturally  drooped  in  the 


Four  Years  in  Rebel  Capitals.  i4r 

monotony  of  a  camp  knee  in  mire,  where  the  only  change  from  the 
camp-fire — with  stew-pan  simmering  on  it  and  long  yarns  spinning 
around  it — was  heavy  sleep  in  a  damp  hut,  or  close  tent,  wrapped  in 
a  musty  blanket  and  lulled  by  the  snoring  of  half  a  dozen  comrades. 

Hale,  sturdy  countrymen,  accustomed  to  regular  exercise  and  hard 
work,  with  nothing  to  do  all  day  but  sun  themselves  and  polish  their 
bayonets,  naturally  moped  and  pined  for  the  homes  that  were  missing 
them  so  sorely.  They,  too,  found  the  smoky  blaze  of  the  camp-fire 
but  a  sorry  substitute  for  the  cheerful  hearth,  where  memory  pictured 
the  comely  wife  and  the  sturdy  little  ones.  The  hardy  mountaineer, 
pent  and  confined  to  a  mud-bound  acre,  naturally  molded  and  pant- 
ed  for  the  fresh  breezes  and  rough  tramps  of  his  far-away  "roost." 

The  general  morality  of  the  camps  was  good,  but  praying  is  a  sor' 
ry  substitute  for  dry  homes  and  good  food;  and,  though  chaplains 
were  earnest  and  zealous,  the  men  gradually  found  cards  more  excit- 
ing than  exhortations.  They  turned  from  the  "wine  of  life"  to  the 
canteen  of  "new  dip"  with  a  spiteful  thirst.  There  were  attempts 
by  the  higher  officers — which  proved  abortive — to  discountenance 
gambling ;  and  the  most  stringent  efforts  of  provost-marshals  to  pre- 
vent the  introduction  of  liquor  to  camp  reduced  the  quantity  some- 
what, but  brought  down  the  quality  to  the  grade  of  a  not  very  slow 
poison. 

Being  much  in  the  numerous  camps  that  winter,  I  was  struck  with 
the  universal  slouch  and  depression  in  ranks  where  the  custom  had 
been  quick  energy  and  cheerful  faces.  Through  the  whole  army  was 
that  enervating  moldiness,  lightened  only  by  an  occasional  gleam 
from  those  "crack  companies  "  so  much  doubted  in  the  beginning  of 
the  war. 

It  had  been  thought  that  the  gay  young  men  of  cities,  used  to  the 
sedentary  life  of  profession,  or  counting-room — and  perhaps  to  the 
irregularities  of  the  midnight  dinner  and  next-morning  ball — that 
these  men,  steady  and  unflinching  as  they  might  be  under  fire — and 
willing  as  they  seemed  to  undertake  "what  man  dare"  in  danger  or 
privation,  would  certainly  break  down  under  the  fatigues  of  the  first 
campaign. 

They  had,  on  the  contrary,  in  every  instance  that  came  under  my 
ken,  gone  through  that  campaign  most  honorably;  had  borne  the 
marches,  the  most  trying  weather  and  the  greatest  straits  of  hunger,. 


142  Four  Years  in  Rebel  Capitals. 

with  an  elasticity  of  mind  and  muscle  that  had  long  since  astounded 
and  silenced  their  most  active  scoffers.  Now,  in  the  bitter  depths  of 
winter,  they  went  through  the  dull  routine  of  camp,  cheerful  and 
buoyant,  at  all  times  ready  for  their  duty,  and  never  grumbling  at  the 
wearing  strain  they  felt  to  be  necessity.  When  I  say  that  in  every 
Confederate  camp  the  best  soldiers  of  that  winter  were  "crack  com- 
panies "  of  the  gay  youths  of  the  cities,  I  only  echo  the  verdict  of  old 
and  tried  officers.  Where  all  did  their  duty  nobly,  comparison  were 
invidious;  but  the  names  of  "  Company  F,"  the  Mobile  Cadets,  the 
Richmond  Blues,  and  Washington  Artillery,  stand  on  the  record  of 
those  dark  days  as  proof  of  the  statement.  Many  men  from  the 
ranks  of  these  companies  had  already  been  promoted  to  high  posi- 
tions, but  they  had  not  yet  lost  their  distinctive  characteristics  as  corps 
d'  elite;  and  admission  to  their  ranks  was  as  eagerly  sought  as  ever. 
A  strange  fact  of  these  companies  was  frequently  stated  by  surgeons 
of  perfect  reliability:  their  sick  reports  were  much  smaller  than  those 
of  the  hardiest  mountain  organizations.  This  they  attributed  to  two 
causes :  greater  attention  to  personal  cleanliness  and  to  all  hygienic 
precautions;  and  the  exercise  of  better  trained  minds  and  wills  keep- 
ing them  free  from  the  deadly  "  blue  devils."  Numbers  of  them,  of 
course,  broke  down  at  once.  Many  a  poor  fellow  who  would  have 
achieved  a  brilliant  future  perished  mid  the  mud  of  Manassas,  or 
slept  under  the  snowy  slopes  of  the  western  mountains.  The  practice 
was  kill  or  cure,  but  it  was  in  a  vast  majority  of  cases,  the  latter ;  and 
men  who  stood  the  hardship  thrived  upon  it. 

The  Marylanders,  too,  were  a  marvel  of  patience.  Self-made 
exiles,  not  only  from  the  accustomed  comforts  of  home,  but  cut  off 
from  communication  with  their  absent  ones  and  harrowed  by  vague 
stories  of  wrong  and  violence  about  them — it  would  have  been  nat- 
ural had  they  yielded  to  the  combined  strain  on  mind  and  matter. 
At  midwinter  I  had  occasion  to  visit  Evansport  and  Acquia  creek. 
It  had  been  bitter  cold;  a  sudden  thaw  had  made  the  air  raw  and 
keen,  while  my  horse  went  to  his  girths  at  every  plunge.  More 
than  once  I  had  to  dismount  in  mire  girth-deep  to  help  him  on.  Sud- 
denly I  came  upon  a  Maryland  camp — supports  to  a  battery.  Some 
of  the  soldiers  I  had  known  as  the  gayest  and  most  petted  of  ball- 
room and  club;  and  now  they  were  cutting  wood  and  frying  bacon, 
as  if  they  had  never  done  anything  else.  Hands  that  never  before 


Four  Years  in  Rebel  Capitals.  143 

felt  an  ax-helve  plied  it  now  as  if  for  life;  eyes  that  were  accus- 
tomed to  look  softly  into 

"  The  sweetest  eyes  that  ever  were," 

in  the  pauses  of  a  waltz,  now  peered  curiously  in  the  reeking  stew- 
pan.  Many  of  their  names  recalled  the  history  of  days  long  gone, 
for  their  father's  fathers  had  moved  in  stately  pageant  down  its 
brightest  pages ;  and  blood  flowed  in  their  veins  blue  as  the  proud- 
est of  earth's  nobility.  They  had  left  affluence,  luxury,  the  caresses 
of  home — and,  harder  than  all,  the  habits  of  society — for  what  ? 

Was  it  thoughtlessly  to  rush  foremost  in  the  delirious  shock  of 
battle ;  to  carelessly  stand  unflinchingly  where  the  wing  of  death 
flapped  darkest  over  the  glare  of  the  fight;  to  stand  knee-deep  in 
Virginia  mud,  with  high  boots  and  rough  shirts,  and  fry  moldy 
bacon  over  fires  of  wet  brush?  Or  was  it  that  the  old  current  in 
their  veins  bounded  hotly  when  they  believed  a  wrong  was  doing; 
that  all  else — home — luxury — love — life! — faded  away  before  the 
might  of  principle  ? 

It  was  an  odd  meeting  with  the  crowd  that  collected  about  me 
and  anxiously  asked  the  news  from  Richmond,  from  abroad,  but 
above  all,  from  home.  Bronzed  and  bearded,  their  huge  boots 
caked  with  Potomac  mud  and  rough  shirts  open  at  their  sunburnt 
throats;  chapped  hands  and  faces  grimy  with  smoke  and  work, 
there  was  yet  something  about  these  men  that  spoke  them,  at  a 
glance,  raised  above  the  herd.  John  Leech,  who  so  reveled  in  the 
"Camps  at  Cobham," would  here  have  found  a  companion-piece  for 
the  opposition  of  the  picture. 

"  Hello,  old  boy !  any  news  from  home  ?  "  yelled  a  whiskered  ser- 
geant, jumping  from  a  log  where  he  was  mending  a  rent  in  his  pants, 
and  giving  me  a  hand  the  color  of  his  favorite  tan  gloves  in  days 
lang  syne — ' '  Pretty  tight  work  up  here,  you  see,  but  we  manage  to 
keep  comfortable ! " — God  save  the  mark  ! 

"What  do  you  think  Bendann  would  give  for  a  negative  of  me?" 
asked  a  splendid  fellow  leaning  on  an  ax,  the  rapid  strokes  of  which 
he  stilled  at  my  approach — "Not  a  half  bad  thing  for  a  fancy  ball, 
eh  ? "  Charles  street  had  no  nattier  man  than  the  speaker  in  days 
gone ;  and  the  tailors  had  found  him  their  pearl  beyond  price.  But 
Hilberg's  best  was  now  replaced  by  a  flannel  shirt  with  many  a  rent, 
army  pants  and  a  jacket  that  had  been  gray,  before  mud  and  smoke 
had  brought  it  near  the  unity  of  Joseph's  best  garment. 


144  Four  Years  in  Rebel  Capitals. 

"  I'd  show  well  at  the  club — portrait  of  a  gentleman?"  he  added 
lightly. 

"Pshaw!  Look  at  me!  There's  a  boot  for  a  junior  assembly! 
Wouldn't  that  make  a  show  on  a  waxed  floor  ?  "  and  little  Charley  H. 
grinned  all  the  way  across  his  fresh,  fair  face,  as  he  extended  a  foot 
protruding  from  what  had  been  a  boot. 

"D — 1  take  your  dress!  Peel  those  onions,  Charley!"  cried  a 
baldheaded  man  from  the  fire  — "  Don't  your  heart  rise  at  the  scent  of 
this  olla,  my  boy  ?  Don't  it  bring  back  our  dinners  at  the  Spanish 
legation  ?  Stay  and  dine  with  us — if  Charley  ever  has  those  onions 
done — and  you'll  feast  like  a  lord-mayor !  By  the  way,  last  letters 
from  home  tell  me  that  Miss  Belle's  engaged  to  John  Smith.  You 
remember  her  that  night  at  Mrs.  R.'s  fancy  ball?" 

"Wouldn't  mind  having  a  bottle  of  Mrs.  R.'s  sherry  now  to  tone 
up  these  onions,"  Charley  said  ruefully.  "  It  would  go  well  with  that 
stew,  taken  out  of  a  tin  cup — eh,  cookey  ?  " 

"  We  had  lots  better  at  the  club,"  the  cook  said,  thoughtfully 
stirring  the  mess  on  the  fire — "It  was  laid  in  before  you  were  born, 
Charley.  Those  were  days,  boys — but  we'll  drink  many  a  bottle  of  it 
yet  under  the  stars  and  bars !  " 

"That  we  will,  old  man!  and  I'll  carry  these  boots  to  a  junior 
assembly  yet.  But  I  would  like  a  bottle  of  old  Mrs.  R.'s  to  drink 
now,  faute  de  mieux,  to  the  health  of  the  Baltimore  girls — God  bless 
'em!" 

"  That  I  would,  too,"  said  the  sergeant.  "  But  that's  the  hard  part 
of  it!" — and  he  stuck  his  needle  viciously  through  the  pants — "I 
always  get  savage  when  I  think  of  our  dear  women  left  unpro — ' 

"  No  particular  one,  sergeant  ?  You  don't  mean  Miss  Mamie  on 
Charles  street,  do  you?  Insatiate  archer!"  cried  Charley. 

"Do  your  cooking,  you  imp!  I  mean  my  dear  old  mother  and 
my  sick  sister.  D — n  this  smoke  !  It  will  get  in  a  fellow's  eyes !  " 

When  Miss  Todd  gave  her  picnic  in  the  valley  of  Jehoshaphat  and 
talked  London  gossip  under  the  olives,  it  was  an  odd  picture;  it 
is  strange  to  see  the  irrepressible  English  riding  hurdles  in  the 
Campagna,  and  talking  of  ratting  in  the  shadow  of  the  Parthenon,  as 
though  within  the  beloved  chimes  of  Bow ;  but  it  was  stranger  still  to 
see  those  roughened,  grimed  men,  with  soleless  boots  and  pants 
tattered  "  as  if  an  imp  had  worn  them,"  rolling  out  town-talk  and 
well-known  names  in  such  perfectly  natural  manner. 


Four   Years  in  Rebel  Capitals.  145 

And  this  was  only  a  slice  from  any  camp  in  the  service.  The 
gentlemen  troops  stood  hardships  better,  and  bore  their  troubles  and 
difficulties  with  lighter  hearts,  than  any  of  the  mixed  corps.  It  is 
true  that  few  of  them  were  left  as  organizations  at  the  end  of  the 
war. 

As  the  army  increased,  men  of  ability  and  education  naturally 
sifted  to  higher  place ;  but  they  wore  their  spurs  after  they  had  won 
them.  They  got  their  commissions  when  they  had  been  through  the 
baptism  of  blood  and  fire,  and  of  mud  and  drudgery  as  well.  They 
never  flinched.  The  dreariest  march — the  shortest  rations — the  deep- 
est snow  and  the  midnight  "  long  roll  " — found  them  ready  and  will- 
ing. History  furnishes  no  parallel.  The  bloods  of  the  cavalier  wars 
rode  hard  and  fought  long.  They  went  to  the  battle  with  the  jest 
upon  their  lips,  and  walked  gaily  to  the  scaffold  if  need  be.  But 
they  not  only  died  as  gentlemen — they  lived  as  they  died.  Their 
perfumed  locks  were  never  draggled  in  the  mire  of  the  camp,  and 
their  silken  hose  never  smirched  but  in  the  fray.  Light  songs  from 
dainty  lips  and  brimming  goblets  from  choice  flacons  were  theirs ; 
and  they  could  be  merry  to-night  if  they  died  to-morrow. 

The  long  rapiers  of  the  Regency  flashed  as  keen  in  the  smoke  of 
the  fight  as  the  jest  had  lately  rung  in  the  mistress'  bower ;  and  how 
the  blase  club  man  and  the  lisping  dandy  of  Rotten  Row  could  change 
to  the  avenging  war  god,  the  annals  of  the  "Light  Brigade"  can 
tell. 

But  these  lived  as  gentlemen.  In  the  blackest  hour,  when  none 
believed  "the  king  should  have  his  own  again;"  in  the  deadliest 
fray  and  in  the  snow-bound  trench,  they  waved  the  sword  of  com- 
mand, and  the  only  equality  they  had  with  their  men  was  who  should 
fight  the  furthest. 

But  here  were  gentlemen  born — men  of  worth  and  wealth,  educa- 
tion and  fashion — delving  side  by  side  with  the  veriest  drudge ;  fight- 
ing as  only  gentlemen  can  fight,  and  then  working  as  gentlemen 
never  worked  before ! 

Delicately  bred  youths  who  had  never  known  rougher  work  than 
the  deux  temps,  now  trudged  through  blinding  snows  on  post,  or  slept 
in  blankets  stiff  with  freezing  mud ;  hands  that  had  felt  nothing  harder 
than  billiard-cue  or  cricket-bat  now  wielded  ax  and  shovel  as  men 
never  wielded  them  for  wages ;  the  epicure  of  the  club  mixed  a  steam- 
ing stew  of  rank  bacon  and  moldy  hard-tack  and  then — ate  it ! 
10 


146  Four  Years  in  Rebel  Capitals. 

And  all  this  they  did  without  a  murmur,  showing  an  example  of 
steadfast  resolution  and  unyielding  pluck  to  the  hardier  and  tougher 
soldiers  by  them ;  writing  on  the  darkest  page  of  history  the  clear 
axiom :  Bon  sangne  peut  mentir! 


Four   Years  in  Rebel  Capitals.  147 


CHAPTER  XVIII. 

SOCIETY   AT  THE   CAPITAL. 

But  while  everything  was  dull  and  lifeless  in  the  camps  of  the 
South,  a  far  different  aspect  was  presented  by  its  Capital.  There 
was  a  stir  and  bustle  new  to  quiet  Richmond.  Congress  had 
brought  crowds  of  attaches  and  hangers-on ;  and  every  department 
had  its  scores  of  dependents.  Officers  from  all  quarters  came  in 
crowds  to  spend  a  short  furlough,  or  to  attend  to  some  points  of  in- 
terest to  their  commands  before  the  bureaux  of  the  War  Depart- 
ment. The  full  hotels  showed  activity  and  life  unknown  to  them. 
Business  houses,  attracted  by  the  increased  demands  of  trade  and 
the  new  channels  opened  by  Government  necessities,  sprang  up  on  all 
sides;  and  the  stores — though  cramped  by  the  blockade — began  to 
brush  off  their  dust  and  show  their  best  for  the  new  customers. 
Every  branch  of  industry  seemed  to  receive  fresh  impetus;  and 
houses  that  had  for  years  plodded  on  in  moldy  obscurity  shot,  with 
the  rapidity  of  Jonah's  gourd,  up  to  first-class  business. 

The  streets  presented  a  scene  of  unwonted  activity ;  and  Franklin 
street — the  promenade  par  excellence,  vied  with  ' '  the  avenue  "  in  the 
character  and  variety  of  the  crowds  that  thronged  its  pavement. 
The  majority  of  the  promenaders  were  officers,  their  uniforms  con- 
trasting brightly  with  the  more  quiet  dresses  around.  While  many 
of  them  were  strangers,  and  the  peculiarities  of  every  State  showed 
in  the  faces  that  passed  in  rapid  panorama,  yet  numbers  of  "  Rich- 
mond boys  "  came  back  for  a  short  holiday ;  almost  every  one  bring- 
ing his  laurels  and  his  commission. 

My  friend,  Wyatt,  had  kept  his  laughing  promise,  and  showed  me 
a  captain's  bars.  General  Breckinridge  had  found  him  hiding  in  the 
ranks,  and  had  added  A.  A.  G.  to  his  title. 

"Knew  it,  old  man!"  was  his  comment — "Virtue  must  be  re- 
warded— merit,  like  water,  will  find  its  level.  Captain  Wyatt,  A.  A. 
<j. — demnition  neat,  eh?  Now,  I'll  be  here  a  month,  and  we  must 


148  Four  Years  in  Rebel  Capitals. 

do  something  in  the  social  line.  I  find  the  women  still  industry 
mad;  but  the  sewing-circles  get  up  small  dullabihties — 'danceable 
teas,'  as  papa  Dodd  abroad  calls  them.  They're  not  splendid  to  a 
used-up  man,  like  you — not  Paris  nor  yet  Washington,  but  they'll 
show  you  our  people." 

And  Wyatt  was  right.  The  people  of  Richmond  had  at  first  held 
up  their  hands  in  holy  horror  at  the  mere  mention  of  amusement ! 
What !  with  a  war  in  the  land  must  people  enjoy  themselves  ? 
Never !  it  would  be  heartless ! 

But  human  nature  in  Virginia  is  pretty  much  like  human  nature 
everywhere  else  ;  and  bad  as  the  war  was,  people  gradually  got  used 
to  "the  situation."  They  had  lost  friends — a  relation  or  two  was 
pretty  badly  marked  perhaps — but  what  glory  the  tens  and  hundreds 
left  had  gained !  There  was  no  fighting  now  ;  and  the  poor  fellows  in 
camp  would  be  only  too  glad  to  know  that  their  brothers-in-arms  were 
being  paid  for  their  toils  by  the  smiles  of  the  fair.  The  great  major- 
ity of  the  strangers,  too,  were  young  men  who  had  been  recom- 
mended to  the  mercy  of  the  society  by  these  very  sufferers  in 
camp. 

Gradually  these  influences  worked — the  younger  and  gayer  people 
indulged  in  the  "  danceable  teas,"  Wyatt  spoke  of,  after  their  sewing- 
circles.  Imperceptibly  the  sewing  was  left  for  other  times;  and  by 
Christmas  there  was  a  more  constant — if  less  formal  and  general — 
round  of  gaiety  than  had  been  known  for  years.  This  brought  the 
citizens  and  strangers  more  together,  and  naturally  the  result  was  a 
long  season  of  more  regular  parties  and  unprecedented  gaiety.  Many 
still  frowned  at  this,  and,  as  usual,  made  unhappy  Washington  the 
scapegoat — averring  that  her  pernicious  example  of  heartlessness  and 
frivolity  had  worked  the  evil. 

These  rigid  Romans  staid  at  home  and  worked  on  zealously  in 
their  manufacture  of  warm  clothing,  deformed  socks  and  impossible 
gloves  for  the  soldier  boys.  All  honor  to  them  for  their  constancy, 
if  they  thought  they  were  right,  and  the  harmless  gaiety  wrong ;  and 
they  fought  the  good  fight,  from  behind  their  abatis  of  knitting  needles, 
only  with  the  innocent  weapons  of  tongue  and  precept.  But  human 
nature  and  inclination  still  held  their  own ;  and  there  were  many  de- 
fections from  the  ranks  of  the  elect,  to  those  of  the  more  practical — 
and  probably  equally  well-intentioned — pleasure-seekers. 


Four   Years  in  Rebel  Capitals,  149 

But  parties  were  by  no  means  the  only  resource  for  pleasure-lovers. 
Anything  that  combined  amusement  and  put  dollars  in  the  treasuries 
of  charitable  societies  became  the  rage ;  and  here  the  rigidly  virtuous 
and  the  non-elect  met  on  neutral  ground.  Among  the  amateurs  of  the 
city  were  some  who  would  have  taken  high  rank  in  any  musical  circle, 
and  these  gave  a  series  of  concerts  for  the  benefit  of  distressed  fami- 
lies of  the  soldiers.  The  performers  were  the  most  fashionable  of  the 
society ;  and,  of  course,  the  judgment  of  their  friends — who  crowded 
to  overflowing  the  churches  where  the  concerts  were  held — was  not 
to  be  relied  on.  But  critics  from  New  Orleans  and  all  parts  of  the 
South  declared  the  performances  creditable  to  any  city.  After  them 
the  audience  broke  up  into  little  cliques  and  had  the  jolliest  little 
suppers  the  winter  produced,  with  the  inevitable  "lancers"  until  the 
smallest  of  small  hours. 

Then,  there  were  charades  and  tableaux  parties ;  while  a  few — 
more  ambitious  of  histrionic  fame — got  up  private  theatricals.  Alto- 
gether, in  the  gay  set,  the  first  winter  of  the  war  was  one  to  be  writ- 
ten in  red  letters,  for  old  Richmond  rang  with  a  chime  of  merry 
laughter  that  for  the  time  drowned  the  echo  of  the  summer's  fights 
and  the  groans  of  the  wayside  hospitals. 

One  unique  point  in  the  society  of  Richmond  struck  me  with 
a  constantly  recurring  surprise.  I  could  not  get  accustomed  to  the 
undisputed  supremacy  of  the  unmarried  element  that  almost  entirely 
composed  it.  It  constantly  seemed  to  me  that  the  young  people  had 
seized  the  society  while  their  elders'  heads  were  turned,  and  had  run 
away  with  it  for  a  brief  space;  and  I  always  looked  to  see  older 
people  come  in,  with  reproof  upon  their  brows,  and  take  charge  of  it 
again.  But  I  looked  in  vain.  One  day  at  a  dinner,  I  remarked  this 
to  my  next  neighbor;  suggesting  that  it  was  only  because  of  the  war. 
She  was  one  of  the  most  charming  women  the  society  could  boast — 
scarcely  more  than  a  bride,  just  out  of  her  teens,  beautiful,  accom- 
plished and  very  gay. 

"Strangers  always  remark  this,"  she  answered;  '"but  it  is  not  the 
result  of  the  war,  or  of  the  influx  of  strangers,  as  you  suppose.  Since 
I  can  remember,  only  unmarried  people  have  been  allowed  to  go 
to  parties  by  the  tyrants  of  seventeen  who  control  them.  We  mar- 
ried folks  do  the  requisite  amount  of  visiting  and  teaing-out;  and 
sometimes  even  rise  in  our  wrath  and  come  out  to  dinner.  But  as  for 


150  Four  Years  in  Rebel  Capitals. 

a  party — no!  As  soon  as  a  girl  is  married,  she  must  make  up  her 
mind  to  pay  her  bridal  visits,  dance  a  few  weeks  upon  sufferance  and 
then  fold  up  her  party  dresses.  No  matter  how  young,  how  pretty,  or 
how  pleasant  she  may  be,  the  Nemesis  pursues  her  and  she  must 
succumb.  The  pleasant  Indian  idea  of  taking  old  people  to  the  river 
bank  and  leaving  them  for  the  tide,  is  overstrictly  carried  out  by  our 
celibate  Brahmins.  Marriage  is  our  Ganges.  Don't  you  wonder  how 
we  ever  dare  to  declare  ourselves  old  enough  ?  " 

I  did  wonder;  for  it  had  always  been  a  hobby  of  mine  that  a 
certain  amount  of  the  married  leaven  was  necessary  in  every  society 
to  give  it  tone  and  stamina.  Though  the  French  principle  of  exclud- 
ing young  ladies  from  all  social  intercourse,  and  giving  the  patent  of 
society  to  Madame,  may  be  productive  of  more  harm  than  good,  the 
converse  seems  equally  objectionable.  I  can  recollect  no  society  in 
which  some  of  the  most  pleasant  memories  do  not  center  around  the 
intercourse  with  its  married  portion.  Richmond  is  no  exception  to 
the  rule.  In  the  South,  women  marry  younger  than  in  the  colder 
states;  and  it  often  happens  that  the  very  brightest  and  most  attract- 
ive points  of  character  do  not  mature  until  an  age  when  they  have 
gotten  their  establishment.  The  education  of  the  Virginia  girl  is  so 
very  different  in  all  essential  points  from  that  of  the  northerner  of  the 
same  station,  that  she  is  far  behind  her  in  self-reliance  and  aplomb. 
There  is,  doubtless,  much  in  native  character,  but  more  in  early 
surroundings  and  the  habit  of  education.  The  southerner,  more 
lanquid  and  emotional,  but  less  self-dependent — even  if  equally  "up 
in"  showier  accomplishments — is  not  formed  to  shine  most  at  an 
early  stage  of  her  social  career.  Firmer  foothold  and  more  intimate 
knowledge  of  its  intricacies  are  necessary  to  her,  before  she  takes  her 
place  as  a  woman  of  the  world. 

Hence,  I  was  much  puzzled  to  account  for  the  patent  fact  that  the 
better  matured  of  its  flowers  should  be  so  entirely  suppressed,  in  the 
Richmond  bouquet,  by  the  half-opened  buds.  These  latter,  doubt- 
less, gave  a  charming  promise  of  bloom  and  fragrance  when  they 
came  to  their  full ;  but  too  early  they  left  an  effect  of  immaturity  and 
crudity  upon  the  sense  of  the  unaccustomed.  Yet  Richmond  had 
written  over  the  portals  of  its  society :  Who  enters  here  no  spouse 
must  leave  behind!  and  the  law  was  of  the  Medan.  A  stranger 
within  their  gates  had  no  right  to  cavil  at  a  time-honored  custom; 


Four  Years  in  Rebel  Capitals.  151 

but  not  one  could  spend  a  winter  week  in  the  good  old  town,  and  fail 
to  have  this  sense  of  unfinishedness  in  her  society  fabric. 

The  fair  daughters  of  the  Capital  are  second  to  none  in  beauty, 
grace  and  the  higher  charm  of  pure  womanhood.  Any  assembly 
showed  fresh,  bright  and  gentle  faces,  with  constant  pretty  ones,  and 
an  occasional  marked  beauty.  There  is  a  peculiar,  lithe  grace, 
normal  to  the  South,  that  is  hard  to  describe;  and,  on  the  whole, 
even  when  not  beautiful,  there  is  a  je  ne  sais  quoi  that  renders  her 
women  very  attractive. 

The  male  element  at  parties  ranged  from  the  passe  beau  to  the  boy 
with  the  down  still  on  his  cheek — ancient  bachelors  and  young 
husbands  alike  had  the  open  sesame.  But  if  a  married  lady, 
however  young  in  years  or  wifehood,  passed  the  forbidden  limits  by 
accident —  Vce  victis  ! 

She  was  soon  made  to  feel  that  the  sphere  of  the  mated  was 
pantry  or  nursery — not  the  ball-room.  To  stranger  dames — if  young 
and  lively — justice  a  little  less  stern  was  meted;  but  even  they,  after 
a  few  offenses,  were  made  to  feel  how  hard  is  the  way  of  the  trans- 
gressor. 

In  a  community  like  Richmond,  where  every  one  in  the  circle  had 
played  together  in  childhood,  or  was  equally  intimate,  such  a  state  of 
things  might  readily  obtain.  In  a  larger  city,  never.  It  spoke 
volumes  for  the  purity  and  simplicity  of  the  society  that  for  years  it 
had  gone  on  thus,  and  no  necessity  for  any  matronage  had  been  felt. 
But  now  the  case  was  different — a  large  promiscuous  element  of 
military  guests  was  thrown  into  it ;  and  it  struck  all  that  society  must 
change  its  primitive  habit. 

The  village  custom  still  prevailed  in  this — a  gentleman  could 
call  for  a  lady — take  her  in  his  charge  alone  and  without  any  chaper- 
one — to  a  party  and  bring  her  back  at  the  "  we  sma'  hours."  This 
was  not  only  well,  as  long  as  the  "  Jeanette  and  Jenot "  state  of  society 
prevailed,  but  it  told  convincingly  the  whole  story  of  the  honest  truth 
of  men  and  women.  But  with  the  sudden  influx — when  a  wolf  might 
so  readily  have  imitated  the  guise  of  the  lamb — a  slight  hedge  of 
form  could  in  no  manner  have  intimated  a  necessity  for  it.  Yet  Rich- 
mond, in  the  proud  consciousness  of  her  simple  purity,  disdained  all 
such  precautions ;  and  the  informalities  of  the  country  town  obtained 
in  the  salons  of  the  nation's  Capital. 


152  Four  Years  in  Rebel  Capitals. 

But  parties  were  not  the  only  hospitalities  the  wanderers  received 
at  the  hands  of  the  Virginians.  In  no  state  in  the  country  one  be- 
comes domesticated  so  soon  as  in  the  Old  Dominion.  You  may  come 
to  any  of  its  towns  a  perfect  stranger,  but  with  a  name  known  to  one 
prominent  citizen,  or  fortified  with  a  few  letters  from  the  right 
source,  and  in  a  time  astonishingly  short  you  find  yourself  at  home. 
This  has  been  time  out  of  mind  Virginian  custom ;  and  as  Richmond 
is  but  a  condensation  of  all  that  is  Virginian,  it  prevailed  here  as  well. 
If  the  stranger  did  not  give  himself  up  to  the  whirl  and  yield  himself, 
"  rescue  or  no  rescue,"  to  the  lance  of  the  unmarried,  he  could  find, 
behind  the  chevaux  de  frise  of  clashing  knitting-needles,  the  most  genial 
welcome  and  most  whole-souled  hospitality. 

"Stupid  party  last  night — too  full,"  criticised  Wyatt,  as  he  lounged 
in  my  room  one  morning.  "  You  seemed  bored,  old  man,  though  I 
saw  you  with  Nell  H.  Desperate  flirt — pretty,  too !  But  take  my 
advice;  let  her  alone.  It  don't  pay  to  flirt." — The  ten  years  between 
the  captain  and  myself  were  to  my  credit  on  Time's  ledger — "It's 
all  very  well  to  stick  up  your  pennon  and  ride  gaily  into  the  lists  to 
break  a  lance  with  all  comers.  Society  cries  laissez  aller!  and  her 
old  dowagers  shower  largesse.  Presto !  my  boy,  and  you  find  your 
back  on  the  grass  and  your  heels  in  the  air.  But  I've  some  steady- 
going  cousins  I  want  to  introduce  you  to.  Suit  you  exactly." 

Confound  the  boy !  Where  did  he  get  that  idea  ?  But  I  was  in- 
troduced to  the  "  steady-going  cousins  "  and  to  me  now  the  Rich- 
mond of  memory  begins  and  ends  in  their  circle.  The  jovial,  pleasant 
family  dinner  around  the  old-time  board ;  the  consciousness  of  ready 
welcome  to  the  social  fireside,  or  partake  of  the  muffin  at  eight,  or  the 
punch — brewed  very  near  Father  Tom's  receipt — at  midnight.  Then 
the  never-to-be-forgotten  coterie  of  the  brightest  women  of  the  day 
under  the  shaded  droplight,  in  the  long  winter  evenings!  And 
none  were  excluded  by  the  "  steady  goers"  because  they  had  com- 
mitted matrimony.  They  did  quantities  of  work  that  season ;  baskets 
of  socks,  bales  of  shirts  and  boxes  of  gloves,  in  numbers  marvelous 
to  see,  went  from  that  quiet  circle  to  warm  the  frozen  hands  and  feet, 
keeping  watch  and  ward  for  them.  And  the  simple  words  of  cheer 
and  love  that  went  with  them  must  have  warmed  hearts  far  colder 
than  beat  under  the  rough  shirts  they  sent. 

And  never  did  the  genial  current  of  talk — sometimes  chatty,  some- 


Four   Years  in  Rebel  Capitals.  153 

times  brilliant — flag  for  a  moment.  The  foremost  men  of  govern- 
ment and  army  were  admitted,  and  I  doubt  if  ever  the  most  ardent 
of  the  unmarried — wilting  in  the  lancers,  or  deliquescing  in  the  deux 
temps — found  very  much  more  genuine  enjoyment  than  the  "  easy 
goers,"  over  their  distorted  socks  and  impracticable  gloves. 

They  talked  of  books,  events  and  people,  and  no  doubt  gossiped 
hugely ;  but  though  some  of  the  habitues  were  on  the  shady  side  of 
thirty  and  were  sedately  walking  in  the  quiet  parts  of  spinsterhood, 
I  never  heard  one  bitter — far  less  one  scandalous,  word! 

Ferat  qui  meruit  palmaml  Let  the  green  leaves  adorn  those  won- 
derful women! 

But  the  novelty  most  remarked  in  the  society  of  this  winter  was 
the  household  of  President  Davis.  Soon  after  the  Government  was 
firmly  established  in  Richmond,  the  State  of  Virginia  placed  at  his 
disposal  a  plain  but  comfortable  house ;  and  here — with  only  the 
ladies  of  his  family  and  his  private  secretary — he  lived  with  the  quiet 
simplicity  of  a  private  citizen. 

It  will  hardly  be  invading  her  sacra  privata  to  say  that  the  Presi- 
dent's lady  did  everything  to  remove  false  ideas  that  sprung  up  re- 
garding the  social  atmosphere  of  the  "  Executive  Mansion."  She 
was  "at  home"  every  evening;  and,  collecting  round  her  a  staff 
that  numbered  some  of  the  most  noted  men  and  brilliant  women  both 
of  the  stranger  and  resident  society,  assured  all  her  varied  guests  a 
warm  welcome  and  a  pleasant  visit.  In  this  circle  Mr.  Davis  would, 
after  the  trying  business  of  the  day,  give  himself  an  hour's  relaxation 
before  entering  on  labors  that  went  far  into  the  night ;  and  favored 
friends  and  chance  visitors  alike  here  met  the  man,  where  they  ex- 
pected the  official. 

Austere  and  thoughtful  at  all  times,  rarely  unbending  to  show  the 
vein  of  humor  hidden  deep  under  his  stern  exterior,  and  having  be- 
sides "the  divinity  that  doth  hedge"  even  a  republican  president, 
Mr.  Davis  was  never  calculated  for  personal  popularity.  Even  in 
the  early  days  of  his  career  he  forced  by  his  higher  qualities — rather 
than  sought  by  the  arts  of  a  trickster — the  suffrages  of  his  people ; 
and  they  continued  to  cast  their  shells  for  him,  even  while  they 
clamored  that  he  was  "the  Just.-" 

Whatever  grave  errors  reflecting  criticisms  may  lay  at  his  door ; 
whatever  share  in  the  ruin  of  the  South,  the  future  historians  may 


154  Four  Years  in  Rebel  Capitals. 

ascribe  to  his  unswerving  self-will  and  unvarying  faith  in  his  own 
power — no  one  who  traces  his  career  from  West  Point  to  the  New 
Saint  Helena — will  call  them  failings  of  the  demagogue. 

In  these  informal  receptions  of  his  lady,  Mr.  Davis  said  little; 
listening  to  the  varied  flow  of  talk  that  showed  her  equally  cogni- 
zant and  appreciative  of  social,  literary  and  sterner  topics.  For  the 
edification  of  the  gayer  visitor,  she  related  odd  experiences  of  her 
public  life,  with  rare  power  of  description  and  admirable  flashes  of 
humor.  She  discussed  the  latest  book  with  some  of  the  small  litter- 
ateurs  with  whom  she  was  infested;  or  talked  knowingly  of  the  last 
picture,  or  the  newest  opera,  faint  echoes  from  which  might  elude 
the  grim  blockaders  on  the  coast. 

Mr.  Davis  spoke  little,  seeming  to  find  a  refreshing  element  in 
her  talk,  that — as  she  pithily  said  of  some  one  else — was  like  tea, 
that  cheers  but  not  inebriates.  Occasionally  he  clinched  an  argu- 
ment, or  gave  a  keener  point  to  an  idea  by  a  short,  strong  sentence. 

After  all  had  partaken  of  the  cup  of  tea  handed  round  informally, 
Mr.  Davis  retired  to  his  study  and  once  more  donned  his  armor  for 
battle  with  the  giants  without  and  the  dwarfs  within  his  territory. 

These  informal  "evenings"  began  to  grow  popular  with  the  bet- 
ter class  of  Virginians,  and  tended  to  a  much  more  cordial  tone 
between  the  citizens  and  their  chief.  They  were  broken  by  bi- 
monthly "levees,"  at  which  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Davis  received  "the 
world  and  his  wife." 

But  the  formal  "levee"  was  a  Washington  custom  and  smacked 
too  much  of  the  "  old  concern  "  to  become  very  popular,  although 
curiosity  to  see  the  man  of  the  hour  and  to  assist  at  an  undress  review 
of  the  celebrities  of  the  new  nation,  thronged  the  parlors  each  fort- 
night. A  military  band  was  always  in  attendance ;  the  chiefs  of 
cabinet  and  bureaux  moved  about  the  crowd;  and  generals — who 
had  already  won  names  to  live  forever — passed,  with  small  hands 
resting  lightly  on  their  chevrons,  and  bright  eyes  speaking  most  elo- 
quently that  old  truism  about  who  best  deserve  the  fair. 

More  than  once  that  winter  General  Johnston  moved  through  the 
rooms — followed  by  all  eyes  and  calling  up  memories  of  subtle  strat- 
egy and  hard-won  victory.  Sometimes  the  burly  form  of  Longstreet 
appeared,  ever  surrounded  by  those  "little  people"  in  whom  he  de- 
lighted ;  and  the  blonde  beard  of  Hood — whose  name  already  began 


Four  Years  in  Rebel  Capitals.  155 

to  shine  with  promise  of  its  future  brilliance — towered  over  the 
throng  of  leading  editors,  "senior  wranglers  "  from  both  houses  of 
Congress,  and  dancing  men  wasting  their  time  in  the  vain  effort  to- 
talk. 

But  not  only  the  chosen  ten  thousand  were  called.  Sturdy  arti- 
sans, with  their  best  coats  and  hands  scrubbed  to  the  proper  point  of 
cleanliness  for  shaking  the  President's,  were  always  there.  Moneyed 
men  came,  with  speculation  in  their  eyes,  and  lobby  members  trying 
to  throw  dust  therein ;  while  country  visitors — having  screwed  their 
courage  up  to  the  desperate  point  of  being  presented — always  dropped 
Mr.  Davis'  hand  as  if  its  not  over-cordial  grasp  burned  them. 

But  the  "levees"  on  the  whole,  if  odd  exhibitions,  were  at  least 
useful  in  letting  the  "dear  public"  have  a  little  glimpse  of  the  inner 
workings  of  the  great  machine  of  government.  And  they  proved, 
even  more  than  the  social  evenings,  the  ease  of  right  with  which 
Varina  Howell  Davis  wore  her  title  of  "  the  first  lady  in  the  land." 

The  men  of  Richmond  have  spoken  for  themselves.  They  wrote 
the  history  of  their  class  when  they  came  forward — one  and  all,  to 
sacrifice  ease — affluence — life  for  the  cause  they  felt  to  be  just. 
There  were  some,  as  I  shall  hereafter  endeavor  to  show,  who  were 
dwellers  with'them,  but  were  not  of  them.  These  did  nothing  and  gave 
nothing  willingly  for  a  cause  in  which  they  saw  only  a  speculation. 
This  is  not  the  place  to  speak  of  such.  They  belong  not  to  the  goodly 
company  of  those  who — whatever  their  weaknesses,  or  even  their 
errors — proclaimed  themselves  honest  men  and  chivalric  gentlemen. 

The  young  men  of  the  whole  South  are  off-hand  and  impulsive ; 
either  naturally  careless  in  pecuniary  matters,  or  made  so  by  habit. 
Sowing  wild  oats  is  an  almost  universal  piece  of  farming;  and  the 
crop  is  as  luxuriant  in  the  mountains  of  Virginia  as  in  the  overflowed 
lands  of  Louisiana. 

Perhaps  in  Richmond  they  were  not  now  seen  from  the  most  ad- 
vantageous point  of  view.  They  were  generally  young  planters  from 
the  country,  reckless,  jovial  and  prone  to  the  lighter  dissipations ;  or 
the  young  business  and  professional  men,  who  rebounded  from  the 
routine  of  their  former  lives  into  a  little  extra  rapidity.  One  and  all 
— for  the  eyes  they  sought  would  not  have  looked  upon  them  else — 
they  had  gone  into  the  army ;  .  had  fought  and  wrought  well ;  and 
now  with  little  to  do,  boon  companionship  and  any  amount  of 


156  Four  Years  in  Rebel  Capitals. 

petting,  they  were  paying  for  it.  The  constant  strain  of  excitement 
produced  much  dissipation  certainly — but  it  seldom  took  the  repre- 
hensible form  of  rowdyism  and  debauch.  Some  men  drank  deeply — 
at  dinners,  at  balls  and  at  bar-rooms ;  some  gambled,  as  Virginians 
always  had  gambled — gaily,  recklessly  and  for  ruinous  stakes.  But 
find  them  where  you  would,  there  was  about  the  men  a  careless  per- 
vading bonhomie  and  a  natural  high  tone  resistlessly  attractive,  yet 
speaking  them  worthy  descendants  of  the  "Golden  Horse  Shoe 
Knights." 

As  yet  the  influence  of  the  Government  was  little  felt  socially. 
The  presence  of  a  large  congregation  of  army  men  from  the  various 
camps  had  given  an  impetus  to  gaiety  it  would  not  otherwise  have 
known ;  but  this  was  all.  There  was  little  change  in  the  habits  and 
tone  of  social  intercourse.  The  black  shadow  of  Washington  had 
not  yet  begun  to  spread  itself,  and  its  corrupt  breath  had  not  yet 
polluted  the  atmosphere  of  the  good  old  town. 

The  presence  of  Congress,  with  its  ten  thousand  followers,  would 
hardly  be  considered  as  elevating  anywhere.  There  is  an  odor  of  to- 
bacco— of  rum — of  discredit — of  anything  but  sanctity  about  the 
American  politician  that  makes  his  vicinage  unpleasant  and  unprofit- 
able. 

Congress  had  met  in  the  quiet  halls  of  the  Virginia  legislature. 
At  first  all  Richmond  flocked  thither,  crowding  galleries  and  lobbies 
to  see  the  might  and  intellect  of  the  new  nation  in  its  most  august 
aspect;  to  be  refreshed  and  strengthened  by  the  full  streams  that 
flowed  from  that  powerful  but  pure  and  placid  fountain;  to  hear 
words  that  would  animate  the  faint  and  urge  the  ready  to  braver  and 
higher  deeds. 

Perhaps  they  did  not  hear  all  this ;  for  after  a  little  they  stopped 
going,  and  the  might  and  majesty  of  the  new  giant's  intellect  was 
left  severely  to  itself.  Of  the  herd  of  camp-followers  who  over- 
flowed the  hotels  and  filled  the  streets,  little  note  was  taken.  An 
occasional  curious  stare — a  semi-occasional  inquiry  as  to  who  they 
were — and  they  passed  even  up  Franklin  street  without  more  remark. 
To  the  really  worthy  in  government  or  army,  the  cordial  hand  of 
honest  welcome  was  extended. 

The  society  unvaryingly  showed. its  appreciation  of  excellence  of 
intellect  or  character,  and  such  as  were  known,  or  found  to  possess  it, 


Four   Years  in  Rebel  Capitals.  157 

were  at  once  received  on  the  footing  of  old  friends.  But  on  the 
whole,  the  sentiment  of  the  city  was  not  in  favor  of  the  run  of  the 
new  comers.  The  leaders  of  society  kept  somewhat  aloof,  and  the 
general  population  gave  them  the  sidewalk.  It  was  as  though  a  stately 
and  venerable  charger,  accustomed  for  years  to  graze  in  a  comfortable 
pasture,  were  suddenly  intruded  on  by  an  unsteady  and  vicious  drove 
of  bad  manners  and  low  degree.  The  thoroughbred  can  only  con- 
descend to  turn  away. 

Willing  as  they  were  to  undergo  anything  for  the  cause,  the  Vir- 
ginians could  not  have  relished  the  savor  of  the  new  importations ; 
nor  can  one  who  knows  the  least  of  the  very  unclean  nature  of  our 
national  politics  for  a  moment  wonder. 

Montgomery  had  been  a  condensed  and  desiccated  preparation  of 
the  Washington  stew,  highly  flavored  with  the  raciest  vices.  Rich- 
mond enjoyed  the  same  mess,  with  perhaps  an  additional  kernel  or 
two  of  that  garlic. 


158  Four  Years  in  Rebel  Capitals, 


CHAPTER  XIX. 

DAYS   OF    DEPRESSION. 

The  proverb  that  misfortunes  never  come  singly  soon  became  a 
painful  verity  in  the  South ;  and  a  terrible  reaction  began  to  still  the 
high-beating  pulses  of  her  triumph. 

The  merry  echoes  of  the  winter  had  not  yet  died  away,  when  it 
became  oppressingly  apparent  that  proper  methods  had  not  been 
taken  to  meet  the  steady  and  persevering  preparations  of  the  North. 
Disaster  after  disaster  followed  the  arms  of  the  South  in  close  succes- 
sion ;  and  the  spirits  of  all  classes  fell  to  a  depth  the  more  profound, 
from  their  elevation  of  previous  joyance. 

As  early  as  the  2 9th  of  the  previous  August,  a  naval  expedition 
under  Commodore  Stringham  had,  after  a  short  bombardment,  reduced 
the  forts  at  Hatteras  Inlet.  In  the  stream  of  gratulation  following 
Manassas,  this  small  event  had  been  carried  out  of  sight ;  and  even 
the  conquest  of  Port  Royal,  South  Carolina,  by  Admiral  Dupont's 
fleet,  on  the  yth  of  November,  had  been  looked  upon  as  one  of  those 
little  mischances  that  only  serve  to  shade  all  pictures  of  general  vic- 
tory. 

They  were  not  taken  for  what  they  really  were — proofs  of  the  en- 
tirely defenseless  condition  of  an  immense  sweep  of  coast,  in  the  face 
of  the  heavy  and  increasing  naval  armament  of  the  United  States. 
They  were  considered  reverses  merely ;  inquiry  went  but  little  deeper 
and  the  lesson  they  should  have  taught  was  lost;  while  the  inexplica- 
ble tardiness  of  the  War  Department  left  still  more  important  points 
equally  defenseless. 

But  the  news  of  General  Crittenden's  utter  defeat  at  Mill  Springs, 
on  the  i  yth  of  January  — of  the  disastrous  results  of  his  miscalcula- 
tion, or  misguided  impetuosity,  and  of  the  death  of  Zollicoffer — 
came  with  stunning  effect ;  opening  wide  the  eyes  of  the  whole  coun- 
try to  the  condition  in  which  apathy,  or  mismanagement,  had  left  it. 

As  usual,  too,  in  the  popular  estimate  of  a  success,  or  a  reverse, 


Four  Years  in  Rebel  Capitals.  159 

the  public  laid  much  stress  on  the  death  of  Zollicoffer,  who  was  a 
favorite  both  with  them  and  the  army.  He  was  declared  uselessly 
sacrificed,  and  his  commanding  general  and  the  Government  came  in 
for  an  equal  share  of  popular  condemnation. 

Mr.  Davis  soon  afterward  relieved  Secretary  Walker  from  the 
duties  of  the  War  Office;  putting  Mr.  Benjamin  in  his  seat  as 
temporary  incumbent.  The  latter,  as  before  stated,  was  known  as 
a  shrewd  lawyer,  of  great  quickness  of  perception,  high  cultivation, 
and  some  grasp  of  mind ;  but  there  was  little  belief  among  the  people 
that  he  was  fit  to  control  a  department  demanding  decision  and 
independence,  combined  with  intimate  knowledge  of  military  matters. 
Besides  Mr.  Benjamin  personally  had  become  exceedingly  unpopular 
with  the  masses.  Whether  this  arose  from  the  unaccountable  influ- 
ence he — and  he  alone — had  with  his  chief,  or  whether  the  busy 
tongues  of  his  private  enemies  received  too  ready  credence,  is  hard 
to  say.  But  so  the  fact  was  ;  and  his  elevation  gave  rise  to  scurril- 
ous attacks,  as  well  as  grave  forebodings.  Both  served  equally  to  fix 
Mr.  Davis  in  the  reasons  he  had  believed  good  enough  for  his  selec- 
tion. 

Suddenly,  on  the  yth  of  February,  Roanoke  Island  fell ! 

Constant  as  had  been  the  warnings  of  the  press,  unremittingly  as 
General  Wise  had  besieged  the  War-  Department,  and  blue  as  was  the 
mood  of  the  public — the  blow  still  fell  like  a  thunder-clap  and  shook 
to  the  winds  the  few  remaining  shreds  of  hope.  General  Wise  was 
ill  in  bed ;  and  the  defense — conducted  by  a  militia  colonel  with 
less  than  one  thousand  raw  troops — was  but  child's  play  to  the  im- 
mense armada  with  heaviest  metal  that  Burnside  brought  against  the 
place. 

Roanoke  Island  was  the  key  to  General  Huger's  position  at  Nor- 
folk. Its  fall  opened  the  Sounds  to  the  enemy  and,  besides  paralyzing 
Huger's  rear  communications,  cut  off  more  than  half  his  supplies. 
The  defeat  was  illustrated  by  great,  if  unavailing,  valor  on  the  part  of 
the  untrained  garrison;  by  a  plucky  and  determined  fight  of  the 
little  squadron  under  Commodore  Lynch ;  and  by  the  brilliant  cour- 
age and  death  of  Captain  O.  Jennings  Wise — a  gallant  soldier  and 
noble  gentleman,  whose  popularity  was  deservedly  great. 

But,  the  people  felt  that  a  period  must  be  put  to  these  mistakes ;  and 
so  great  was  their  clamor  that  a  congressional  committee  investigated 


160  Four  Years  in  Rebel  Capitals. 

the  matter;  and  their  report  declared  that  the  disaster  lay  at  the  door 
of  the  War  Department.  The  almost  universal  unpopularity  of  the 
Secretary  made  this  a  most  acceptable  view,  even  while  an  effort  was 
made  to  shift  part  of  the  blame  to  General  Huger's  shoulders.  But 
wherever  the  fault,  the  country  could  not  shake  off  the  gloom  that 
such  a  succession  of  misfortunes  threw  over  it. 

This  feeling  was,  if  possible,  increased,  and  the  greatest  uneasi- 
ness caused  in  all  quarters,  by  Burnside's  capture  of  Newbern,  North 
Carolina,  on  the  4th  of  March.  Its  defenses  had  just  been  completed 
at  heavy  cost;  but  General  Branch,  with  a  garrison  of  some  5,000 
men,  made  a  defense  that  resulted  only  in  complete  defeat  and  the 
capture  of  even  his  field  artillery.  Here  was  another  point,  com- 
manding another  supply  country  of  great  value  to  the  commissariat, 
lost  to  the  South.  But  worse  still,  its  occupation  gave  the  Federals 
an  easy  base  for  striking  at  the  Weldon  railroad. 

Nowhere  was  the  weakness  of  the  South  throughout  the  war  shown 
more  fully  than  in  her  utterly  inefficient  transportation.  Here  were 
the  demands  of  the  army  of  Virginia  and  of  a  greatly-increased  popu- 
lation in  and  around  Richmond,  supplied  by  one  artery  of  communi- 
cation !  Seemingly  every  energy  of  the  Government  should  have  been 
turned  to  utilizing  some  other  channel ;  but,  though  the  Danville 
branch  to  Greensboro' — of  only  forty  miles  in  length — had  been  pro- 
jected more  than  a  year,  at  this  time  not  one  rail  had  been  laid. 

It  is  almost  incredible,  when  we  look  back,  that  the  Government 
should  have  allowed  its  very  existence  to  depend  upon  this  one  line — 
the  Weldon  road ;  running  so  near  a  coast  in  possession  of  the  enemy, 
and  thus  liable  at  any  moment  to  be  cut  by  a  raiding  party.  Yet  so 
it  was.  The  country  was  kept  in  a  state  of  feverish  anxiety  for  the 
safety  of  this  road ;  and  a  large  body  of  troops  diverted  for  its  de- 
fense, that  elsewhere  might  have  decided  many  a  doubtful  battle-field. 
Their  presence  was  absolutely  necessary ;  for,  had  they  been  with- 
drawn and  the  road  tapped  above  Weldon,  the  Virginia  army  could 
not  have  been  supplied  ten  days  through  other  channels,  and  would 
have  been  obliged  to  abandon  its  lines  and  leave  Richmond  an  easy 
prey. 

Meanwhile  the  North  had  collected  large  and  splendidly-equipped 
armies  of  western  men  in  Kentucky  and  Tennessee,  under  command 
of  Generals  Grant  and  Buell.  The  new  Federal  patent,  "the 


Four  Years  in  Rebel  Capitals.  161 

Cordon,"  was  about  to  be  applied  in  earnest.  Its  coils  had  already 
been  unpleasantly  felt  on  the  Atlantic  seaboard ;  General  Butler  had 
"  flashed  his  battle  blade  " — that  was  to  gleam,  afterward,  so  bright  at 
Fort  Fisher  and  Dutch  Gap — and  had  prepared  an  invincible  armada 
for  the  capture  of  New  Orleans ;  and  simultaneously  the  armies 
under  Buell  were  to  penetrate  into  Tennessee  and  divide  the  systems 
of  communication  between  Richmond  and  the  South  and  West. 

General  Albert  Sidney  Johnston  was  sent  to  meet  these  prepara- 
tions, with  all  the  men  that  could  be  spared  from  Western  Virginia 
and  the  points  adjacent  to  his  line  of  operations.  Still  his  force  was 
very  inadequate  in  numbers  and  appointment;  while  to  every  appli- 
cation for  more  men,  the  War  Department  replied  that  none  could 
be  spared  him. 

The  Federal  plan  was  to  advance  their  armies  along  the  water, 
courses,  simultaneously  with  their  gunboats — light  draught  construc- 
tions prepared  expressly  for  such  service;  and,  penetrating  to  any 
possible  point,  there  form  depots  with  water  communication  to  their 
base.  The  Tennessee  and  Cumberland  rivers  were  plainly  their 
highways.  The  only  defenses  of  these  streams  were  Forts  Henry 
and  Donelson — weak  works  inefficiently  garrisoned;  for  the  half 
million  appropriated  by  Congress  for  their  defense  at  the  eleventh 
hour  could  not  have  been  used  in  time,  even  had  the  money  been 
forthcoming  from  the  treasury. 

With  scarcely  a  check  to  their  progress,  the  Federals  reduced  and 
passed  Fort  Henry  on  the  4th  of  February,  pressing  on  to  Donelson, 
into  and  supporting  which  work,  General  Johnston  had  thrown  Gen- 
eral J.  B.  Floyd  with  some  ten  thousand  troops  under  Pillow  and 
Buckner.  After  three  days'  hard  fighting,  Floyd  found  the  position 
untenable  and  further  resistance  impossible.  He,  therefore,  turned 
over  the  command  to  Buckner — who  refused  to  abandon  the  part  of 
the  garrison  that  could  not  escape — and,  with  General  Pillow  and 
some  five  thousand  men,  withdrew  in  the  night  and  made  good  his 
escape. 

During  the  siege  of  Donelson,  Johnston  evacuated  Bowling  Green 
and  awaited  its  issue  opposite  Nashville.  The  result  being  known,  it 
naturally  followed  that  this  city — undefended  by  works  of  any  de- 
scription and  with  an  army  inadequate  to  its  protection — had  to  be 
abandoned.  The  retreat  was  at  once  commenced ;  and  it  was  on  that 
ii 


1 62  Four  Years  in  Rebel  Capitals. 

gloomy  march  that  Forrest  first  made  the  name  that  now  stands  with 
so  few  rivals  among  the  cavalry  leaders  of  the  world.  Commanding 
a  regiment  of  cavalry  from  his  own  section,  he  seemed  as  ubiquitous 
as  untiring.  Keeping  a  constant  front  to  the  enemy — now  here,  now 
there,  and  ever  cool,  dauntless  and  unflinching — he  gave  invaluable 
aid  in  covering  the  rear  of  that  retreat.  About  this  time,  also,  John 
H.  Morgan  began  to  make  his  name  known  as  a  partisan  chief;  and 
no  more  thrilling  and  romantic  pages  show  in  the  history  of  the  times, 
than  those  retailing  how  he  harassed  and  hurt  the  Federals  while  in 
Nashville. 

During  the  progress  of  these  events  on  the  Tennessee  and  Cumber- 
land, Richmond  had  been  shaken  by  alternate  spasms  of  suspense 
and  premature  exultation. 

Her  citizens  could  scarcely  yet  realize  that  the  hitherto  despised 
Yankees  had  been  able  to  march,  almost  unchecked,  into  the  heart 
of  a  territory  protected  by  southern  forts,  southern  troops,  and  the 
noblest  names  in  all  her  bright  array.  Feeling  thus,  they  still  placed 
some  credence  in  any  rumors  that  came. 

One  morning,  news  reached  Richmond  of  a  brilliant  victory  at 
Donelson,  and  it  was  received  with  wild  rejoicing.  Next  night  the 
War  Department  issued  the  stunning  bulletin  of  the  fall  of  Nash- 
ville !  When  this  was  generally  believed,  a  gloom  settled  over  the 
Capital,  such  as  no  event  of  the  war  had  yet  produced.  The  revul- 
sion was  too  sudden  and  complete  to  be  met  by  reason,  or  argu- 
ment ;  the  depression  was  too  hopeless  and  despairing  to  be  removed 
by  any  declaration  of  the  valor  of  the  defense,  of  the  orderly  char- 
acter of  the  retreat,  or  of  the  far  stronger  position  Johnston  had 
gained  by  a  concentration  of  his  force  on  a  ground  of  his  own  choice. 

The  very  name  of  gunboat  began  to  have  a  shuddering  signifi- 
cance to  the  popular  mind.  A  vague,  shadowy  power  of  evil  far 
beyond  that  of  any  floating  thing,  ancient  or  modern,  was  ascribed 
to  it ;  and  the  wild  panic  constantly  created  in  the  Federal  mind  the 
year  before  by  the  dreaded  name  of  "Black  Horse,"  or  the  mere 
mention  of  masked  battery — was  re-enacted  by  the  South  in  defer- 
ential awe  of  those  floating  terrors. 

Under  this  morbid  state  of  gloom,  the  Government  fell  into  greater 
and  greater  disfavor.  Without  much  analytical  reasoning,  the  people 
felt  there  must  have  been  a  misuse  of  resources,  at  least  great  enough 


Four   Years  in  Rebel  Capitals.  163 

to  have  prevented  such  wholesale  disaster.  Especial  odium  fell  upon 
the  War  Department  and  reacted  upon  the  President  for  retaining 
incapable — or,  what  was  the  same  to  them,  unpopular — ministers  in 
his  council  at  such  vital  moment.  The  press — in  many  instances 
filled  with  gloomy  forebodings  and  learned  disquisitions  on  the  I-told- 
you-so  principle,  fanned  the  flame  of  discontent.  Mr.  Davis  soon 
found  himself,  from  being  the  idol  of  the  people,  with  nearly  half 
the  country  in  open  opposition  to  his  views. 

At  this  moment,  perhaps,  no  one  act  could  have  encouraged  this 
feeling  more  than  his  relieving  Floyd  and  Pillow  from  command,  for 
abandoning  their  posts  and  leaving  a  junior  officer  to  capitulate  in 
their  stead.  Certainly  the  action  of  these  generals  at  Donelson  was 
somewhat  irregular  in  a  strictly  military  view.  But  the  people 
argued  that  they  had  done  all  that  in  them  lay ;  that  they  had  fought 
nobly  until  convinced  that  it  was  futile;  that  they  had  brought  off  five 
thousand  effective  men,  who,  but  for  that  very  irregularity,  would 
have  been  lost  to  the  army  of  the  West ;  and,  finally,  that  General 
Johnston  had  approved,  if  not  that  one  act,  at  least  their  tried  cour- 
age and  devotion. 

Still,  Mr.  Davis  remained  firm,  and — as  was  his  invariable  custom 
in  such  cases — took  not  the  least  note  of  the  popular  discontent. 
And  still  the  people  murmured  more  loudly,  and  declared  him  an 
autocrat,  and  his  cabinet  a  bench  of  imbeciles. 

Thus,  in  a  season  of  gloom  pierced  by  no  ray  of  light ;  with  the 
enemy,  elated  by  victory,  pressing  upon  contracting  frontiers ;  with 
discontent  and  division  gnawing  at  the  heart  of  the  cause — the 
"  Permanent  Government"  was  ushered  in. 

The  22d  of  February  looked  dark  and  dismal  enough  to  depress 
still  more  the  morbid  sensibilities  of  the  people.  A  deluge  of  rain 
flooded  the  city,  rushed  through  the  gutters  in  small  rivers,  and 
drenched  the  crowds  assembled  in  Capitol  Square  to  witness  the  in- 
auguration. 

In  the  heaviest  burst  of  the  storm,  Mr.  Davis  took  the  oath  of 
office  at  the  base  of  the  Washington  statue ;  and  there  was  some- 
thing in  his  mien — something  solemn  in  the  surroundings  and  the 
associations  of  his  high  place  and  his  past  endeavor — that,  for  the  mo- 
ment, raised  him  in  the  eyes  of  the  people,  high  above  party  spite 
and  personal  prejudice,  ' 


164  Four  Years  in  Rebel  Capitals. 

An  involuntary  murmur  of  admiration,  not  loud  but  heart-deep,, 
broke  from  the  crowds  who  thronged  the  drenched  walks;  and 
every  foot  of  space  on  the  roof,  windows  and  steps  of  the  Capitol. 
As  it  died,  Mr.  Davis  spoke  to  the  people. 

He  told  them  that  the  fortunes  of  the  South,  clouded  and  dim  as 
they  looked  to-day,  must  yet  rise  from  the  might  of  her  united  peo- 
ple, to  shine  out  as  bright  and  glorious  as  to-morrow's  sun. 

It  was  singularly  characteristic  of  the  man,  that  even  then  he  made 
no  explanation  of  the  course  he  had  seen  fit  to  take — no  excuses  for 
seeming  harshness — no  pledge  of  future  yielding  to  any  will  but  his 
own.  The  simple  words  he  spoke  were  wholly  impersonal;  firm 
declaration  that  he  would  bend  the  future  to  his  purpose;  calm  and 
solemn  iteration  of  abiding  faith  that  a  united  South,  led  by  him, 
must  be  unconquerable. 

There  was  a  depth  in  the  hearts  of  his  hearers  that  discontent  could 
not  touch : — that  even  discontent  had  not  yet  chilled.  They  saw  in 
him  the  representative  man  of  their  choice — headstrong  certainly, 
erring  possibly.  But  they  saw  also  the  staunch,  inflexible  champion 
of  the  South,  with  iron  will,  active  intellect,  and  honest  heart  bent 
steadily  and  unwearyingly  to  one  purpose;  and  that  purpose  the 
meanest  one  among  them  clasped  to  his  heart  of  hearts  ! 

Then,  through  the  swooping  blasts  of  the  storm,  came  a  low, 
wordless  shout,  wrenched  from  their  inmost  natures,  that  told,  if  not 
of  renewed  faith  in  his  means,  at  least  of  dogged  resolution  to  stand 
by  him,  heart  and  hand,  to  achieve  the  common  end. 

It  was  a  solemn  sight,  that  inauguration. 

Men  and  women  left  the  square  with  solemn  brows  and  serious 
voices.  There  was  none  of  the  bustle  and  pride  of  a  holiday  pag- 
eant ;  but  there  was  undoubtedly  a  genuine  resolve  to  toil  on  in  the 
hard  road  and  reach  the  end,  or  fall  by  the  wayside  in  the  effort. 

Having  laid  out  a  fixed  line  of  policy,  Mr.  Davis  in  no  way  devi- 
ated from  it.  There  were  no  changes  of  government  measures  and 
no  changes  of  government  men,  except  the  elevation  of  General 
George  W.  Randolph  to  the  Secretaryship  of  War.  This  gentleman 
— a  clear-headed  lawyer,  a  tried  patriot  and  soldier  by  education  and 
some  experience — was  personally  very  popular  with  all  classes.  He 
was  known  to  possess  decision  of  character  and  a  will  as  firm  as  the 
President's  own  ;  and  the  auguries  therefrofh  were,  that  in  future  the 


Four   Years  in  Rebel  Capitals.  165 

chief  of  the  War  Office  would  also  be  its  head.     His  advent,  there- 
fore, was  hailed  as  a  new  era  in  military  matters. 

But  Mr.  Benjamin,  who  became  daily  more  unpopular,  had  been 
removed  from  the  War  Department  only  to  be  returned  to  the  port- 
folio of  State,  which  had  been  kept  open  during  his  incumbency  of 
the  former.  This  promotion  was  accepted  by  the  Secretary's  enemies 
as  at  once  a  reproof  to  them,  and  a  blow  aimed  at  the  popular  foreign 
policy.  They  boldly  averred  that,  though  the  foreign  affairs  of  the 
Government  might  not  call  for  very  decided  measures,  Mr.  Benjamin 
would  not  scruple — now  that  he  more  than  ever  had  the  ear  of  his 
chief — to  go  beyond  his  own  into  every  branch  of  the  Government, 
and  to  insert  his  own  peculiar  and  subtle  sophisms  into  every  recess 
of  the  Cabinet. 

To  do  the  Secretary  justice,  he  bore  the  universal  attack  with  most 
admirable  good  nature  and  sang  froid.  To  all  appearance,  equally 
secure  in  his  own  views  and  indifferent  to  public  odium,  he  passed 
from  reverse  to  reverse  with  perfectly  bland  manner  and  unwearying 
courtesy ;  and  his  rosy,  smiling  visage  impressed  all  who  approached 
him  with  vague  belief  that  he  had  just  heard  good  news,  which  would 
be  immediately  promulgated  for  public  delectation. 

The  other  members  of  the  Cabinet,  though  not  equally  unpopular, 
still  failed  fully  to  satisfy  the  great  demands  of  the  people.  Two  of 
them  were  daily  arraigned  before  the  tribunal  of  the  press — with  what 
reason,  I  shall  endeavor,  hereafter,  to  show. 

Mr.  Reagan's  administration  of  the  Post-office,  while  very  bad, 
was  possibly  as  good  as  any  one  else  could  have  inaugurated,  with 
the  short  rolling-stock  and  cut  roads  of  ill-managed,  or  unmanaged  sys- 
tems ;  and  the  Attorney-General  was  of  so  little  importance  for  the 
moment  as  to  create  but  little  comment. 

Thus  the  permanent  government  of  the  struggling  South  was  in- 
augurated amid  low-lowering  clouds.  Every  wind  from  the  North 
and  West  threatened  to  burst  them  into  overwhelming  flood ;  while, 
within  the  borders  of  the  nascent  Nation,  no  ray  of  sunshine  yet 
reflected  from  behind  their  somber  curtain. 

And  through  the  gloom — with  no  groping  hand  and  with  unfalter- 
ing tread ; — straight  to  the  fixed  purport  of  its  own  unalterable  pur- 
pose, strode  the  great,  incarnate  Will  that  could  as  little  bend  to 
clamor,  as  break  under  adversity ! 


1 66  Four  Years  in  Rebel  Capitals. 


CHAPTER  XX. 

FROM    SHILOH   TO   NEW   ORLEANS. 

Within  two  weeks  of  his  inauguration,  the  strongly  hopeful  words 
of  President  Davis  seemed  to  approach  fulfillment,  through  the  crush- 
ing victory  of  the  "Merrimac"  in  Hampton  Roads,  on  the  8th 
March.  There  was  no  doubt  of  the  great  success  of  her  first  experi- 
ment; and  the  people  augured  from  it  a  series  of  brilliant  and  suc- 
cessful essays  upon  the  water.  The  late  bugbear — gunboats — began 
to  pale  before  the  terrible  strength  of  this  modern  Avar-engine ;  and 
hopes  were  cherished  that  the  supremacy  afloat — which  had  been  the 
foundation  of  the  claim  of  Federal  victory — was  at  an  end. 

On  the  23d  of  the  same  month,  Jackson — who  was  steadily  work- 
ing his  way  to  the  foremost  place  in  the  mighty  group  of  heroes — 
struck  the  enemy  a  heavy  blow  at  Kernstown.  His  success,  if  not 
of  great  material  benefit,  was  at  least  cheering  from  its  brilliance  and 
dash. 

But  the  scale,  that  trembled  and  seemed  about  to  turn  in  favor  of 
the  South,  again  went  back  on  receipt  of  the  news  of  Van  Dorn's 
defeat,  on  the  yth  March,  in  the  trans-Mississippi.  Price  and  his 
veterans — the  pride  of  the  whole  people,  and  the  great  dependence 
in  the  West — had  been  defeated  at  Elk  Horn.  And  again  the  calam- 
ity assumed  unwonted  proportions  in  the  eyes  of  the  people  from  the 
death  of  Generals  Ben  McCollough  and  Mclntosh — the  former  a 
great  favorite  with  Government,  army  and  public. 

This  news  overshadowed  the  transient  gleam  from  Hampton  Roads 
and  Kernstown;  plunging  the  public  mind  into  a  slough  of  despond, 
in  which  it  was  to  be  sunk  deeper  and  deeper  with  each  successive 
despatch. 

After  Nashville,  Island  No.  10 — a  small  marsh-surrounded  knob  in 
the  Mississippi  river — had  been  selected  by  General  Beauregard,  and 
fortified  with  all  the  appliances  of  his  great  engineering  skill,  until 
deemed  well-nigh  impregnable.  It  was  looked  upon  as  the  key  to  the 
defenses  of  the  river,  and  of  the  line  of  railroad  communication 


Four  Years  in  Rebel  Capitals.  167 

between  New  Orleans  and  the  West  with  the  Capital.  In  the  middle 
of  March  the  Federal  flotilla  commenced  a  furious  bombardment  of 
that  station;  and  though  a  stubborn  defense  was  conducted  by  its 
garrison,  some  boats  succeeded  in  running  its  batteries  on  the  6th 
April.  It  was  then  deemed  necessary  at  once  to  abandon  the  post, 
which  was  done  with  such  precipitate  haste  that  over  seventy  valuable 
guns — many  of  them  perfectly  uninjured;  large  amounts  of  stores, 
and  all  of  the  sick  and  wounded,  fell  into  the  hands  of  the  captors. 

On  the  same  day  was  joined  the  hardest  and  bloodiest  battle  that 
had  to  this  time  drenched  the  land  with  the  best  blood  in  it. 

General  Grant,  with  an  army  of  not  less  than  45,000  fresh  and 
well-equipped  soldiers,  had  been  facing  General  A.  S.  Johnston, 
seeking  to  amuse  him  until  a  junction  with  Buell  could  surely  crush 
his  small  force — not  aggregating  30,000  effective  men.  To  frustrate 
this  intent,  Johnston  advanced  to  the  attack  on  the  plains  of  Shiloh, 
depending  upon  the  material  of  his  army,  and  his  disposition  of  it,  to 
equalize  the  difference  of  numbers. 

At  early  dawn  on  Sunday,  the  6th  April,  General  Hardee,  com- 
manding the  advance  of  the  little  army,  opened  the  attack.  Though 
surprised — in  many  instances  unarmed  and  preparing  their  morning 
meal — the  Federals  flew  to  arms  and  made  a  brave  resistance,  that 
failed  to  stop  the  onward  rush  of  the  southern  troops.  They  were 
driven  from  their  camp ;  and  the  Confederates — flushed  with  victory, 
led  by  Hardee,  Bragg  and  Polk,  and  animated  by  the  dash  and  ubiq- 
uity of  Johnston  and  Beauregard — followed  with  a  resistless  sweep 
that  hurled  them,  broken  and  routed,  from  three  successive  lines  of 
entrenchments.  The  Federals  fought  with  courage  and  tenacity. 
Broken,  they  again  rallied ;  and  forming  into  squads  in  the  woods, 
made  desperate  bush-fighting. 

But  the  wild  rush  of  the  victorious  army  could  not  be  stopped ! 
On  its  front  line  swept ! — On,  like  the  crest  of  an  angry  billow, 
crushing  resistance  from  its  path  and  leaving  a  ghastly  wreck  under 
and  behind  it ! 

While  leading  a  charge  early  in  the  afternoon,  General  Johnston  re- 
ceived a  Minie-ball  in  his  leg.  Believing  it  but  a  flesh  wound,  he  re- 
fused to  leave  the  ground ;  and  his  falling  from  his  horse,  faint  with- 
the  loss  of  blood,  was  the  first  intimation  the  staff  had  of  its  serious 
nature ;  or  that  his  death,  which  followed  almost  immediately,  couldl 
result  from  so  slight  a  wound. 


1 68  Four  Years  in  Rebel  Capitals. 

The  loss  of  their  leader  was  hidden  from  the  men ;  and  they  drove 
the  enemy  steadily  before  them,  until  sunset  found  his  broken  and 
demoralized  masses  huddled  on  the  river  bank,  under  cover  of  the 
gunboats. 

Here  Grant  waited  the  onset,  with  almost  the  certainty  of  annihi- 
lation. But  the  onset  never  came;  that  night  Buell  crossed  upward 
of  20,000  fresh  troops;  the  broken  army  of  Grant  was  reformed; 
Wallace's  division  of  it  joined  the  main  body ;  and  next  day,  after  a 
terrible  and  disastrous  fight,  the  southrons  slowly  and  sullenly  re- 
tired from  the  field  they  had  so  nobly  won  the  day  before. 

A  horrid  scene  that  field  presented,  as  foot  by  foot  the  fresh  thou- 
sands of  the  Federals  wrenched  it  from  the  shattered  and  decimated 
Confederates ;  the  ground  furrowed  by  cannon,  strewn  with  aban- 
doned arms,  broken  gun-carriages,  horses  plunging  in  agony,  and  the 
dead  and  dying  in  every  frightful  attitude  of  torture ! 

The  battle  of  Shiloh  was  the  bloodiest  of  the  war.  The  little  army 
of  the  South  had  lost  near  one-third  of  its  whole  number ;  while  the 
Federals  had  bought  back  their  camp  with  the  loss  of  not  less  than 
16,000  men. 

And,  while  the  bloodiest  field,  none  had  so  splendidly  illustrated 
the  stubborn  valor  of  the  men  and  the  brilliant  courage  of  their  lead- 
ers. Gladden  had  fallen  in  the  thickest  of  the  fight — the  circum- 
stances of  his  death  sending  a  freshened  glow  over  the  bright  record 
he  had  written  at  Contreras  and  Molino  del  Rey.  The  names  of 
Bragg,  Hardee  and  Breckinridge  were  in  the  mouths  of  men,  who 
had  been  held  to  their  bloody  work  by  these  bright  exemplars. 
Wherever  the  bullets  were  thickest,  there  the  generals  were  found — 
forgetful  of  safety,  and  ever  crying — "  Come  !  " 

Governor  Harris  had  done  good  service  as  volunteer  aid  to  Gener- 
al Johnston;  and  Governor  George  M.  Johnson,  of  Kentucky,  had 
gone  into  the  battle  as  a  private  and  had  sealed  his  devotion  to  the 
cause  with  his  blood.  Cheatham  and  Bush  rod  Johnson  bore  bloody 
marks  of  the  part  they  took ;  while  Breckinridge,  who  had  already 
won  undying  fame,  added  to  his  reputation  for  coolness,  daring,  and 
tenacity,  by  the  excellence  with  which  he  covered  the  rear  of  the 
army  on  its  retreat  to  Corinth. 

The  results  of  the  battle  of  Shiloh — while  they  gave  fresh  cause  for 
national  pride — were  dispiriting  and  saddening.  It  seemed  as  though 


Four  Years  in  Rebel  Capitals.  169 

the  most  strenuous  efforts  to  marshal  fine  armies — and  the  evacua- 
tion of  city  after  city  to  concentrate  troops — were  only  to  result  in 
an  indiscriminate  killing,  and  no  more ;  as  if  the  fairest  opportunities 
for  a  crushing  blow  to  the  enemy  were  ever  to  be  lost  by  error,  or 
delay. 

The  death  of  General  Johnston,  too — seemingly  so  unnecessary 
from  the  nature  of  his  wound — caused  a  still  deeper  depression ;  and 
the  public  voice,  which  had  not  hesitated  to  murmur  against  him 
during  the  eventful  weeks  before  the  battle,  now  rose  with  universal 
acclaim  to  canonize  him  when  dead.  It  cried  out  loudly  that,  had 
he  lived  through  the  day  of  Shiloh,  the  result  would  have  been  dif- 
ferent. 

It  must  be  the  duty  of  impartial  history  to  give  unbiased  judg- 
ment on  these  mooted  points;  but  the  popular  verdict,  at  the  time, 
was  that  Beauregard  had  wasted  the  precious  moment  for  giving  the 
coup-de-grace.  The  pursuit  of  the  Federals  stopped  at  six  o'clock;  and 
if,  said  people  and  press,  he  had  pushed  on  for  the  hour  of  daylight 
still  left  him,  nothing  could  possibly  have  followed  but  the  annihila- 
tion, or  capitulation,  of  Grant's  army. 

On  the  other  hand,  Beauregard's  defenders  replied  that  the  army 
was  so  reduced  by  the  terrible  struggle  of  twelve  hours — and  more 
by  straggling  after  the  rich  spoils  of  the  captured  camp — as  to 
render  further  advance  madness.  And  in  addition  to  this,  it  was 
claimed  that  he  relied  on  the  information  of  a  most  trusty  scout — 
none  other  than  Colonel  John  Morgan — that  BuelPs  advance  could 
not  possibly  reach  the  river  within  twenty-four  hours.  Of  course, 
in  that  event,  it  was  far  better  generalship  to  rest  and  collect  his 
shattered  brigades,  and  leave  the  final  blow  until  daylight. 

An  erroneous  impression  prevailed  in  regard  to  this  fight,  that 
Johnston  had  been  goaded  into  a  precipitate  and  ill-judged  at- 
tack by  the  adverse  criticisms  of  a  portion  of  the  press.  No  one 
who  knew  aught  of  that  chivalric  and  true  soldier  would  for  an 
instant  have  believed  he  could  lend  an  ear  to  such  considerations,  with 
so  vast  a  stake  in  view ;  and  the  more  reasonable  theory  came  to  be 
accepted — that  he  desired  to  strike  Grant  before  the  heavy  columns 
that  Buell  was  pouring  down  could  join  him. 

At  all  events,  the  sad  waste  of  position  and  opportunity,  and  the 
heavy  loss  in  brilliant  effort  and  valuable  lives,  caused  equal  dissatis- 


170  Four  Years  in  Rebel  Capitals. 

faction  and  gloom.  Beauregard's  new  strategic  point  commanded  a 
valuable  sweep  of  producing  territory,  protected  the  communications, 
and  covered  Memphis.  Still  people  were  not  satisfied ;  and  tongues 
and  pens  were  busy  with  the  subject,  until  an  event  occurred  that 
wrapped  the  whole  country  in  wondering  and  paralyzing  grief. 

On  the  26th  April  New  Orleans  surrendered  to  Admiral  Farragut! 

The  Federal  fleet  had  long  been  hovering  about  the  twin  forts  at 
the  mouth  of  the  river;  and  daily  telegrams  of  the  progress  of  the 
bombardment  and  of  their  impregnability  had  schooled  the  country 
into  the  belief  that  the  city  was  perfectly  secure.  Day  after  day  the 
wires  repeated  the  same  story  of  thousands  of  shell  and  nobody  hurt, 
until  inquiry  ceased  to  be  even  anxious ;  and  the  people  were  ready 
to  despise  this  impotent  attempt  upon  the  most  important  point  of 
the  far  South. 

So  secure  had  the  Government  been  in  her  defenses,  that  regi- 
ment after  regiment  had  been  withdrawn  from  New  Orleans  and  sent 
to  Corinth,  until  General  Lovell  found  his  command  reduced  to  less 
than  three  thousand  effective  men — and  more  than  half  of  these 
local  militia  and  volunteer  organizations. 

Suddenly  came  the  despatch  that  the  fleet  had  passed  the  forts  at 
dawn  on  the  24th !  All  was  consternation  in  the  city.  The  confi- 
dence had  been  so  great  that  daily  avocations  went  on  as  usual ;  and 
the  news  found  every  one  as  unprepared  for  it,  as  though  no  enemy 
had  been  near. 

Confusion  ruled  the  hour.  General  Lovell  reached  the  city  from 
below ;  and,  feeling  that  his  handful  of  men  could  effect  nothing  and 
might  only  offer  an  excuse  for  bombardment,  he  yielded  to  the  desire 
of  the  city  authorities  and  withdrew  to  Camp  Moore.  He  carried 
with  him  all  the  munitions  and  supplies  that  were  capable  of  trans- 
portation ;  and  held  himself  ready  to  return  at  a  moment's  notice 
from  the  Council. 

Meanwhile,  the  Federal  fleet  had  engaged  the  Confederate  flotilla 
— consisting  of  an  incomplete  iron-clad,  a  plated  tow-boat  ram,  and 
eight  or  ten  useless  wooden  shells — and  after  a  desperate  fight  had 
driven  them  off  only  to  be  blown  up,  one  by  one,  by  their  own  com- 
manders. 

The  water-batteries  then  offered  no  effective  resistance.  The  ob- 
structions had  been  opened  to  remove  accumulated  raft,  and  could 


Four  Years  in  Rebel  Capitals.  171 

not  be  closed ;  and  the  fleet  moved  slowly  up  to  seize  the  rich  prize 
that  lay  entirely  within  its  grasp. 

On  the  26th  April,  the  "  Hartford"  leading  the  van,  it  anchored 
off  the  city  to  find  it  hushed  as  death  and  wrapped  in  the  eddying 
smoke-clouds  from  fifteen  thousand  burning  bales  of  cotton.  After 
the  first  burst  of  consternation,  the  people  took  heart ;  and  even  at 
the  sight  of  the  enemy's  shipping  did  not  lose  all  hope.  There  were 
no  soldiers  aboard  ;  Butler's  army  could  not  dare  the  passage  of  the 
forts  in  the  shells  of  transports  that  contained  it ;  the  fleet,  cut  off  as 
it  was  from  all  re-enforcement  and  supply,  could,  at  worst,  only  shell 
the  city  and  retire — again  running  the  gauntlets  of  the  two  forts ;  and 
then  the  only  loss  to  the  city — for  the  flotilla  in  its  incomplete  state 
could  not  have  been  made  effective  as  a  defense — would  have  been 
the  cotton  and  the  trifling  damage  done  by  the  shells. 

So  the  people  hoped  on.  A  long  correspondence,  coupled  with 
reiterated  threats  of  bombardment,  ensued  between  Mayor  Monroe 
and  Admiral  Farragut,  relative  to  the  State  flag  that  still  floated  over 
the  Custom  House.  Still  the  city  was  not  in  Federal  power  and 
there  might  yet  be  a  chance. 

But  on  the  28th,  the  news  of  the  fall  of  the  forts  in  consequence  of 
the  surrender  of  their  garrisons — took  the  last  support  from  the  most 
hopeful.  The  city  yielded  utterly;  the  marines  of  the  "Hartford'* 
landed,  took  formal  possession,  raised  the  stars  and  stripes  over  the 
City  Hall ;  and  the  emblem  of  Louisiana's  sovereignty  went  down 
forever ! 

Three  days  after,  General  Butler  landed  and  took  command  of  the 
city,  for  which  he  had  not  struck  a  blow.  He  stationed  his  garrison 
in  the  public  buildings,  the  hotels,  and  even  in  private  houses;  and 
then  commenced  a  system  of  oppression  and  extortion,  that — while  it 
made  the  blood  boil  in  the  veins  of  every  southron — has  sent  his 
name  to  the  honest  thinkers  of  the  future  linked  with  a  notoriety 
which  all  history  proves  to  be  unique. 

The  annals  of  the  war  are  not  free  from  small  pilferers  and  vicious 
imbeciles;  but  high  above  the  tableau  they  form,  this  warrior  has 
perched  himself  upon  a  pinnacle — let  us  hope — unattainable  again ! 

It  is  hard  to  overrate  the  consequences  of  the  fall  of  New  Orleans. 
The  commercial  city  and  port  of  the  whole  South-west — its  depot  and 
granary — the  key  to  communication  with  the  trans-Mississippi,  and 


172  Four  Years  in  Rebel  Capitals. 

the  sentinel  over  vast  tracts  of  rich  and  productive  territory — her  loss 
was  the  most  stunning  blow  that  had  yet  been  dealt  the  cause  of  the 
South. 

It  opened  the  whole  length  of  the  Mississippi  as  a  new  base  for 
operations  against  the  interior;  and  gave  opportunities  for  establish- 
ing a  series  of  depots,  from  which  the  Federal  armies — if  ever  beaten 
and  shattered — could  be  rapidly  and  effectively  recruited. 

Not  the  least  disastrous  effect  of  this  blow  was  its  reception  by  the 
people.  After  the  first  bitter  wail  went  up  over  the  land,  inquiry 
came  from  every  quarter  how  long  this  state  of  things  could  last. 
Position  after  position — fortress  after  fortress — city  after  city — de- 
clared impregnable  by  the  Government  up  to  the  very  last  moment, 
fell  suddenly  and  mysteriously;  only  to  expose,  when  too  late,  the 
chain  of  grievous  errors  that  inseparably  linked  the  catastrophe  with 
the  Government. 

The  public  demanded  at  least  an  explanation  of  these  things — a 
candid  expose  of  the  condition  to  which  they  were  reduced.  If  told 
they  were  battling  hopelessly  for  their  frontiers ;  that  the  enemy  was 
too  strong  and  the  extent  of  territory  too  large  for  sure  defense ;  if 
told,  even,  there  were  grave  reason  to  doubt  the  ultimate  issue — they 
were  yet  willing  to  battle  for  the  hope,  and  to  go  uncomplainingly  to 
the  front  and  face  the  gloomy  truth. 

But  to  be  buoyed  day  by  day  with  high-sounding  protestations 
of  invincibility,  only  to  see  their  strongest  points  dropping,  one  by 
one,  into  the  lap  of  the  enemy;  to  be  lulled  into  security  to  find,  too 
late,  that  the  Government  had  deceived  them,  while  it  deceived  itself; 
and  thus  to  imbibe  a  deep  distrust  of  the  hands  in  which  their  hopes 
and  the  future  were  placed — this  was  more  than  they  could  bear;  and 
"a  thick  darkness  that  could  be  felt"  brooded  over  the  land. 

But  as  yet  this  feeling  had  not  begun  in  any  way  to  react  upon  the 
army.  The  hardy  soldiers  had  enough  to  do  to  keep  them  busy ; 
and  besides  had  laid  up  a  stock  of  glorious  reminiscences,  upon  which 
to  fall  back  when  bad  news  reached  them.  Only  the  bare  facts  of 
these  rapid  and  terrible  blows  reached  the  camps;  and  stubborn, 
hard-fisted  "Johnny  Reb,"  looked  upon  them  smilingly  as  reverses  to 
be  made  up  to-morrow,  or  the  next  time  he  caught  "  Mr.  Yank." 

To  the  Louisiana  soldiers,  the  news  of  the  fall  of  their  beautiful  city 
had  a  far  deeper  and  more  bitter  import.  Some  of  the  business  men 
of  New  Orleans,  who  remained  in  the  city,  yielded  to  the  prompt- 


Four  Years  in  Rebel  Capitals.  173 

ings  of  interest  and  fell  to  worshipping  the  brazen  calf,  the  Wash- 
ington high  priest  had  set  up  for  them.  Some  refused  to  degrade 
themselves  and  remained  to  be  taught  that  might  is  right;  and  that 
handcuffs  are  for  the  conquered.  Others  collected  what  little  they 
could  and  fled  to  Europe ;  while  nobler  spirits  eluded  the  vigilance 
of  their  captors  and  came  by  scores  into  the  Confederate  camps. 

But  the  women  of  New  Orleans  were  left  behind.  They  could 
not  come ;  and  against  them  the  Pontiff  of  Brutality  fulminated  that 
bull,  which  extorted  even  from  the  calm  and  imperturbable  British 
Premier  the  exclamation — "  Infamous!" 

The  intended  insult  fell  dead  before  the  purity  of  southern  woman- 
hood; but  the  malignancy  that  prompted  it  seared  deep  into  their 
hearts.  Though  their  defenders  were  away,  the  women  of  New  Or- 
leans rose  in  their  majesty  of  sex;  and,  "clothed  on  with  chastity," 
defied  the  oppressor  and  called  on  manhood  everywhere  to  judge  be- 
tween him  and  them.  As 

"  When  the  face  of  Sextus  was  seen  amid  the  foes  "  — 
in  those  earlier  days  when  Roman  womanhood  was  roused  to  defy 
that  elder  traducer — 

"  No  women  on  the  housetops 

But  spat  toward  him  and  hiss'd ; 
No  child  but  scream'd  out  curses 
And  shook  its  little  fist !  " 

And  the  cry  echoed  in  the  hearts  of  the  Louisianians  in  the  battle's 
front.  It  mattered  not  so  much  to  them  if  the  defenses  had  been 
neglected;  if  the  proper  precautions  had  not  been  taken,  and  their 
firesides  and  families  sacrificed,  while  they  were  battling  so  nobly  far 
away.  They  only  felt  that  those  dear  homes — their  wives,  and 
sisters,  and  sweethearts — were  now  in  the  relentless  grasp  of  a  hero 
who  burned  to  war  against  women, 

And  deep  in  their  souls  they  swore  a  bitter  oath  to  fight  in  the 
future,  not  only  for  the  cause  they  loved,  but  for  themselves;  to  strike 
each  blow,  nerved  by  the  thought  that  it  was  for  the  redemption  of 
their  homes  and  their  loved  ones ;  or,  if  not  for  this — for  vengeance  ! 

Gradually  this  spirit  inoculated  their  fellow-soldiers.  The  bitter 
feelings  of  the  struggle,  strong  enough  before,  became  intensified; 
and  in  every  Confederate  camp  was  brewing  a  sullen  and  somber 
war-cloud,  the  sudden  flashes  from  which  were  to  strike  terror  to  the 
heart  of  the  North  before  that  summer  was  done. 


174  Four  Years  in  Rebel  Capitals. 


CHAPTER   XXI. 

THE   CONSCRIPTION   AND   ITS   CONSEQUENCES. 

In  the  midst  of  the  gloom,  weighing  upon  the  country  about  the 
days  of  Shiloh,  the  Confederate  Congress  moved  on  a  point  of  vital 
import  to  its  cause.  Weak  and  vacillating  as  that  body  had  proved; 
lacking  as  it  was  in  decision,  to  force  its  views  on  the  executive,  or  to 
resist  popular  clamor,  backed  by  brutum  fulmen  of  the  press — a 
moment  had  come  when  even  the  blindest  of  legislators  could  not 
fail  to  see. 

More  men,  was  the  cry  from  every  general  in  the  field.  With 
more  men,  the  army  of  Manassas  could  have  carried  the  war  over  the 
Potomac  frontier;  perhaps  have  ended  it  there.  With  more  men, 
Nashville  would  have  been  saved  and  Shiloh  won.  With  more  men, 
the  enemy,  pouring  over  the  daily  contracting  frontiers,  if  not  checked 
in  their  advance,  might  be  restrained  from,  or  chastised  for,  the 
brutal  and  uncivilized  warfare  that  now  began  to  wage,  away  from  all 
great  army  centers. 

Great  as  was  the  need  for  new  blood  and  new  brains,  in  the  council 
of  the  nation — still  more  dire  was  the  need  for  fresh  muscle  in  its 
armies.  Levies  must  be  raised,  or  all  was  lost ;  and  the  glories  that 
had  wreathed  the  southern  flag,  even  when  it  drooped  lowest — price- 
less blood  that  had  been  poured  as  a  sacrament  to  consecrate  it — 
would  all  be  set  at  naught  by  the  imbecility  of  the  chosen  lawgivers 
of  the  people.  Thus,  after  a  pressure  of  months  from  cooler  heads 
in  government,  the  more  thoughtful  of  the  people,  and  the  most  far- 
sighted  of  the  press,  the  few  live  men  in  Congress  wrung  from  it  the 
*'  Conscription  Act"  on  the  i6th  day  of  April. 

The  reader  may  have  gained  some  faint  idea  of  the  alacrity  with 
which  men  of  all  classes  rushed  into  the  ranks;  of  the  steady  e-ndeavor 
and  unmurmuring  patience  with  which  they  bore  the  toils  and  dan- 
gers of  their  chosen  position;  of  their  unwavering  determination  to 
fight  the  good  fight  to  the  end.  That  the  same  spirit  as  genuinely 


Four  Years  in  Rebel  Capitals.  175 

pervaded  the  masses  of  the  army  now,  there  is  little  doubt ;  but  the 
South — instead  of  husbanding  her  resources,  had  slept  during  these 
precious  months  the  North  utilized  to  bring  a  half  million  of  men 
against  her. 

Now,  when  she  woke  to  the  plain  fact  that  her  existence  depended 
— not  only  on  keeping  in  the  ranks  every  man  already  there,  but  of 
adding  largely  to  their  numbers — it  was  but  natural  that  the  Govern- 
ment's torpor  had,  in  a  slight  degree,  reacted  upon  its  soldiers. 

When  the  Government  had  assumed  more  form  and  regularity  with 
increased  proportions  and  the  conviction,  forced  upon  the  most  ob- 
tuse mind,  that  a  struggle  was  at  hand  demanding  most  perfect  organ- 
ization, the  looseness  of  a  divided  system  had  become  apparent.  The 
laws  against  any  State  maintaining  a  standing  army  were  put  into  ef- 
fect; and  the  combined  military  power  was  formally  turned  over,  as 
a  whole,  to  the  Confederate  authorities.  This  change  simply  meant 
that  complete  organizations  were  accepted  as  they  stood,  as  soldiers 
of  the  Confederacy  instead  of  soldiers  of  the  states ;  the  men  were 
mustered  into  the  Confederate  service  and  the  officers  had  their  state 
commissions  replaced  by  those  from  the  Confederate  War  Depart- 
ment. From  that  date,  the  troops  were  to  look  to  the  central  Gov- 
ernment for  their  pay,  subsistence,  and  supplies. 

In  mustering  in,  all  troops — with  only  exceptions  where  their  con- 
tracts with  state  governments  demanded — were  received  "for  three 
years  of  the  war."  At  Montgomery,  many  admirable  organizations 
had  been  tendered  to  the  Government  for  one  year;  and  much 
discussion  had  ensued  on  the  subject  of  their  reception.  It  was  then 
generally  believed,  even  by  the  longest  heads  in  the  Cabinet,  that  the 
war  would  be  only  a  campaign.  I  have  elsewhere  alluded  to  the  te- 
nacity with  which  its  supporters  clung  to  this  idea;  and  Mr.  Davis 
was  almost  alone  in  his  persistent  refusal  to  accept  the  troops  for  less 
than  three  years,  or  the  war.  To  the  one  campaign  people  he  said, 
very  justly,  that  if  the  troops  were  taken  for  twelve  months,  and  the 
war  were  really  over  in  six,  here  was  the  Government  saddled  with 
the  incubus  at  a  standing  army,  infinitely  greater  than  its  needs;  and 
here  large  bodies  of  men  who  might  be  of  incalculable  service 
elsewhere,  tied  to  the  vitiating  and  worse  than  useless  influences  of  a 
peace  camp.  On  the  other  hand,  should  the  war  last  longer,  in  its 
very  climax  a  large  body  of  educated  soldiers,  just  trained  to  a  point 


176  Four  Years  in  Rebel  Capitals. 

of  usefulness,  would  have  the  right  to  demand  their  discharge,  when 
their  places  would  be  difficult  to  fill  even  with  raw  levies.  There 
was  much  dissatisfaction  among  the  one  campaign  people;  but  their 
own  argument — that,  if  received  for  the  war,  the  troops  would  get 
home  before  their  proposed  twelve  months  expired — was  unanswer- 
able. Now,  when  the  same  arguments  were  used  to  enforce  the 
passage  of  the  Conscription  Act,  the  enemies  that  Mr.  Davis  had  by 
this  time  gathered  around  him,  little  recked  that  in  their  wisdom, 
they  were  quoting  him. 

This  transfer  to  the  Confederate  Government  covered  all  the  troops 
of  the  several  states,  except  the  militia.  This,  of  course,  remained 
under  the  authority  of  their  respective  governors. 

Naturally,  with  the  addition  to  the  force  originally  contemplated  by 
"  the  assembled  wisdom  of  the  land,"  the  five  brigadier-generals 
allowed  by  Congress  proved  totally  inadequate.  A  law  had  subse- 
quently been  forced  from  them,  granting  the  appointment  of  five 
generals  —  a  rank  paramount  to  that  of  field-marshal  in  European 
armies — of  the  regular  army,  who  were  to  command  volunteers ;  and 
allowing  the  President  to  appoint  such  number  of  brigadiers  of 
volunteers  as  the  necessities  of  the  service  demanded. 

There  had  been  little  hesitancy  in  the  selection  of  the  generals — all 
of  them  men  who  had  served  with  distinction  in  the  army  of  the 
United  States;  and  who  had  promptly  left  it  to  cast  their  lot  with 
the  new  Government.  So  little  difference  could  be  found  in  their 
claims  for  precedence,  that  the  dates  of  their  old  commissions  decided 
it.  They  were  Samuel  Cooper,  Albert  Sidney  Johnston,  Robert  E. 
Lee,  Joseph  E.  Johnston  and  Pierre  G.  T.  Beauregard. 

These  nominations  had  been  received  with  unanimity  by  the 
Senate,  and  with  profound  satisfaction  by  the  people.  Had  fitness 
and  right  been  consulted  equally  in  other  appointments,  much 
priceless  blood  might  have  been  saved  to  the  South. 

Still,  at  the  time,  it  was  believed  that  the  commissions  of  brigadier 
of  volunteers  were  conferred  upon  the  most  meritorious  of  the 
resigned  officers ;  or,  where  there  was  reason  to  hope  good  results  to 
the  service — upon  the  best  of  those  men  the  troops  had  chosen  as 
commanders.  Strong  pressure  was,  of  course,  brought  to  bear  upon 
the  President,  regarding  these  appointments;  but  the  verdict  of  army 
and  people  was  that  these  first  selections  were  made  with  as  much 


Four  Years  in  Rebel  Capitals.  177 

judgment  and  impartiality  as  the  untried  state  of  the  army  permitted. 

But  fifteen  months'  quiet  endurance  of  hardship,  danger  and 
doubt;  the  universal  wail  from  homes  that  had  never  before  known 
a  dark  hour,  but  where  unaccustomed  toil  now  fought  vainly  against 
misery  and  disease;  a  pervading  sense  of  insecurity  for  any  point,  and 
that  those  homes — broken  and  saddened  as  they  were — might  meet  a 
yet  worse  fate — all  these  causes  had  done  their  work.  Undaunted  and 
unconquered  as  the  men  were,  the  bravest  and  most  steadfast  still 
longed  for  a  sight  of  the  dear  faces  far  away. 

The  term  of  service  of  more  than  a  hundred  regiments  would  ex- 
pire soon ;  enlistments  had  become  slow  and  were  not  to  be  stimu- 
lated by  any  inducements  legislation  could  offer.  The  very  danger 
that  had  been  pointed  out  in  refusing  more  "twelve  months'  men" 
became  too  imminent  to  evade. 

The  soldiers  of  the  South  were  more  anxious  than  ever  to  meet 
the  foe.  Added  to  their  love  for  the  cause,  many  now  felt  bitter 
personal  incentive  to  fight ;  and  every  blow  was  now  struck  alike  for 
country  and  for  self.  But  while  panting  for  the  opportunity,  they 
had  a  vague  feeling  that  they  must  fight  nearer  home  and — forget- 
ting that  the  sole  protection  to  their  loved  ones  lay  in  a  union, 
closer  and  more  organized  than  ever — each  yearned  for  the  hour 
when  he  would  be  free  to  go  and  strike  for  the  defense  of  his  own 
hearthstone. 

The  intent  of  the  conscription  was  to  put  every  man  in  the  coun- 
try, between  the  ages  of  eighteen  and  thirty-five,  into  the  army;  re- 
stricting "details"  from  the  field  within  the  narrowest  limits  of  abso- 
lute necessity.  It  retained,  of  course,  every  man  already  in  the 
field ;  and,  had  its  spirit  been  vigorously  carried  out,  would  have 
more  than  doubled  the  army  by  midsummer. 

It  provided  for  the    separate  enrollment  of  each   state  under  a 
"Commandant  of  Conscripts;"  and  for  collecting   new  levies   at. 
proper  points  in  "  Camps  of  Instruction,"  under  competent  officers, 
that  recruits  might  go  to  the  army  prepared  in  drill  and  knowledge 
of  camp  life  for  immediate  service. 

But,  the  Conscription  Act,  like  all  other  congressional  measures, 
was  saddled  with  a  companion,  "  Bill  of  Exemptions."  This — 
while  so  loosely  constructed  as  almost  to  nullify  all  good  effect  of  the 
law — opened  the  door  to  constant  clashing  of  personal  and  public 
interests,  and  to  great  abuses  of  the  privilege. 

12 


178  Four  Years  in  Rebel  Capitals. 

It  would,  of  course,  have  been  folly  to  draw  every  able-bodied 
male  from  districts  already  so  drained  of  effective  population  as  to 
have  become  almost  non-producing.  Such  a  course  would  have  put 
thousands  of  additional  mouths  into  the  ranks,  and  still  further  have 
reduced  the  straitened  means  for  feeding  them.  And  it  would  have 
been  equally  suicidal  to  draw  from  forge  and  from  lathe,  those  skilled 
artisans  who  were  day  and  night  laboring  to  put  weapons  in  the  hands 
of  those  sent  to  wield  them. 

But  the  "Bill  of  Exemptions"  left  possible  both  of  these  things, 
at  the  same  time  that  it  failed  to  restrain  abuses  of  privileges  in 
certain  high  quarters.  The  matter  of  "  details "  was,  of  course, 
essential;  and  it  was  only  to  be  supposed  that  generals  in  the 
field  could  best  judge  the  value  of  a  man  in  another  position  than 
the  front. 

But  the  most  objectionable  feature  to  the  army  was  the  "Substi- 
tute Law,"  which  allowed  any  one  able  to  buy  a  man,  not  subject  to 
the  action  of  conscription,  to  send  him  to  be  shot  at  in  his  place. 
Soldiers  who  had  endured  all  perils  and  trials  of  the  war,  naturally 
felt  that  if  they  were  retained  in  positions  they  objected  to,  those  who 
had  been  comfortably  at  home — and  in  many  instances  coining  that 
very  necessity  into  fortunes — should  be  forced  at  the  eleventh  hour 
to  come  and  defend  themselves  and  their  possessions.  Besides,  the 
class  of  men  wh®  were  willing  to  sell  themselves  as  substitutes  were 
of  the  very  lowest  order.  All  citizens  of  the  South  were  liable  to 
conscription;  and  the  "exempts"  open  to  purchase,  were  either 
strange  adventurers,  or  men  over  and  under  age,  who — argued  the 
soldiers — if  fit  for  service  should  come  of  their  own  free  will. 

Veteran  troops  had  a  low  enough  opinion  of  the  ' '  conscript "  as  a 
genus ;  but  they  failed  not  to  evince,  by  means  more  prompt  than 
courteous,  their  thorough  contempt  for  the  "  substitute." 

These  causes  produced  much  discontent,  where  men  would  cheer- 
fully have  acquiesced  in  a  law  essential  to  the  preservation  of  the 
fabric  they  had  reared  and  cemented  with  their  blood.  To  quell  this 
feeling,  a  reorganization  of  the  army  was  effected.  A  certain  time 
was  allowed  for  any  liable  man  to  volunteer  and  choose  his  branch  of 
the  service  and,  if  practicable,  his  regiment ;  and  so  great  was  the  dread 
of  incurring  the  odium  of  conscription,  that  the  skeleton  veteran  reg- 
iments rapidly  filled  up  to  a  point  of  efficiency.  They  were  then 


Four   Years  in  Rebel  Capitals.  179 

allowed  to  choose  their  own  officers  by  election  ;  and,  though  this 
lost  to  the  service  many  valuable  men  who  had  become  unpopular, 
still  the  army  was  better  satisfied  within  itself. 

The  refilled  regiments  were  re-brigaded  by  states  when  practica- 
ble, a  general  from  a  different  state  being  sometimes  placed  in  com- 
mand ;  and  the  whole  army  was  divided  into  corps,  of  three  divisions 
each,  commanded  by  a  lieutenant-general. 

Whatever  the  weakness  of  its  construction — and  the  abuses  of  the 
exemption  and  detail  power  in  carrying  it  out — there  can  be  little 
doubt  that  the  conscription  at  this  time  saved  the  country  from  speedy 
and  certain  conquest ;  and  credit  should  be  given  to  the  few  active 
workers  in  the  congressional  hive  who  shamed  the  drones  into  its 
passage. 

Had  the  men  whose  term  expired  been  once  permitted  to  go 
home,  they  could  never  again  have  been  collected ;  the  army  would 
have  dwindled  into  a  corporal's  guard  here  and  there ;  the  masses 
the  North  was  pouring  down  on  all  sides  would  have  swept  the  futile 
resistance  before  it ;  and  the  contest,  if  kept  up  at  all,  would  have 
degenerated  into  a  guerrilla  warfare  of  personal  hatred  and  ven- 
geance, without  a  semblance  of  confederation,  or  nationality. 

Once  passed,  the  people  of  the  whole  country  aquiesced  in  and 
approved  the  conscription,  and  gave  all  the  aid  of  their  influence  to 
its  progress.  Here  and  there  a  loud-mouthed  demagogue  would  at- 
tempt to  prejudice  the  masses  against  the  measure ;  but  scarcely  a 
community  failed  to  frown  down  such  an  effort,  in  the  great  extremity 
of  the  country,  as  vicious  and  traitorous.  The  opposition  that  the 
project  had  met  in  the  administration — from  doubt  as  to  its  avail- 
ability— was  removed  by  its  very  first  working.  What  had  been  in 
its  inception  an  unpopular  measure,  received  now  the  approbation  of 
all  classes ;  and  the  governors  of  every  state — save  one — went  to  work 
with  hearty  good  will  to  aid  its  carrying  out. 

This  exception  was  Governor  Joseph  E.  Brown,  of  Georgia,  who 
entered  into  a  long  wrangle  with  the  administration  on  the  constitu- 
tional points  involved.  He  denied  the  right  of  Congress  to  pass  such 
an  act,  and  of  the  Executive  to  carry  it  out  within  the  limits  of  a 
sovereign  state ;  averred — with  much  circumlocution  and  turgid  bom- 
bast— that  such  attempt  would  be  an  infringement  of  the  State  Rights 
of  Georgia,  which  he  could  not  permit. 


180  Four  Years  in  Rebel  Capitals. 

Mr.  Davis  replied  in  a  tone  so  reasonable,  decorous  and  temperate 
as  to  wring  unwilling  admiration  even  from  his  opponents.  He 
pointed  out  briefly  the  weak  points  that  rendered  the  governor's  posi- 
tion utterly  untenable,  ignored  the  implied  warning  of  resistance  to 
the  law;  and  succinctly  stated  that  he  relied  upon  the  patriotism  of 
Georgians  to  grasp  the  full  meaning  of  the  crisis  their  executive  failed 
to  comprehend;  and  he  closed  by  stating  that  the  conscription  must 
go  on. 

Governor  Brown  found  no  supporters  for  his  extreme  views,  even 
in  the  anti-administratipn  party.  The  people  felt  the  imminence  of 
the  danger ;  and  here,  as  in  all  matters  of  deep  import,  they  placed 
the  conservation  of  the  cause  high  above  partisan  prejudices,  or 
jealousies  of  cliques.  Utterly  silenced  by  the  calm  dignity  and  in- 
cisive logic  of  Mr.  Davis,  and  abandoned  by  the  few  supporters  his 
defiance  of  the  administration  had  at  first  collected  around  him,  Gov- 
ernor Brown  was.forced  to  yield ;  achieving  only  the  conviction  that 
he  had  the  general  condemnation  of  the  popular  voice. 

Once  set  in  motion,  the  machinery  of  conscription  worked  rapidly 
and  somewhat  smoothly.  The  Camps  of  Instruction  in  all  states  not 
possessed  by  the  enemy  filled  rapidly,  and  the  class  of  conscripts  on 
the  whole  was  fairly  good.  By  early  summer  they  began  to  arrive  in 
Richmond  and  "  Camp  Lee" — the  station  where  they  were  collected 
— became  a  point  equally  of  curiosity  to  the  exempt  and  of  dread  to 
the  liable. 

It  was  curious  to  note  the  prevalence  of  the  various  state-traits, 
showing  in  the  squads  of  conscripts  from  time  to  time  passing  through 
the  city.  The  sturdy  farmers  from  the  interior,  especially  those  from 
Virginia,  Georgia  and  Alabama,  though  lacking  the  ease  and  careless 
carriage  of  the  veteran  soldier,  had  a  determined  port  that  spoke  for 
their  future  usefulness.  They  were  not  merry  naturally.  Called  from 
accustomed  avocations  and  leaving  behind  them  families  defenseless 
and  without  means  of  support,  they  could  scarcely  have  marched 
gaily,  even  when  willingly,  into  the  Carnival  of  Death.  But  they 
were  resolute  men,  earnest  in  their  love  for  the  South  and  honest  in 
their  wish  to  serve  her — with  the  musket,  if  that  were  better  than  the 
plough. 

Tall  and  lank,  but  long-limbed  and  muscular,  the  Georgians  had  a 
swinging  stride  of  their  own;  and,  even  when  the  peculiar  dialect  did 


Four   Years  in  Rebel  Capitals.  181 

not  ring  out  over  their  ranks,  something  in  their  general  style  gave 
the  idea  that  these  were  the  men  who  would  one  day  be  fellow-soldiers 
of  the  famous  "  fighting  Third." 

Ever  and  anon  came  a  dejected,  weary  squad  with  slouching  gait 
and  clayey  complexions.  Speaking  little  and  then  with  a  flat,  unin- 
toned  drawl  that  told  of  the  vicinage  of  "salt  marsh;"  bearing  the 
seeds  of  rice-field  fevers  still  in  them,  and  weakly  wondering  at  the 
novel  sights  so  far  from  home,  the  South  Carolina  conscripts  were  not 
a  hopeful  set  of  soldiers.  As  soon  as  the  tread  of  hostile  battalions 
had  echoed  on  her  soil,  the  sons  of  the  Palmetto  State  flew  to  their 
posts.  State  regulars  went  to  the  coast,  picked  volunteer  corps  came 
to  Virginia.  None  stayed  behind  but  those  really  needed  there  by 
the  Government,  or  that  refuse  class  which  had  determined  to  dodge 
duty,  but  now  failed  to  dodge  "the  conscript  man."  The  former 
were,  of  course,  as  much  needed  now  as  ever ;  the  latter  did  not  ride 
into  the  battle  with  defiance  on  their  brows,  but,  on  the  contrary, 
seemed  looking  over  their  shoulders  to  find  a  hole  in  the  mesh  that 
implacable  conscription  had  drawn  about  them. 

Their  next  neighbors  of  the  Old  North  State  were  hardly  better  in 
the  main,  but  some  men  among  them  seemed  not  unlike  the  militia 
that  had  fought  so  well  at  Roanoke  Island.  Green  and  awkward ; 
shrinking  away  from  the  chaff  of  passing  regulars ;  looking  a  little 
sheepish  for  being  conscripts,  "Zeb  Vance's  boys"  yet  proved  not 
unworthy  the  companionship  of  the  men  of  Bethel,  of  Manassas  and 
of  Richmond. 

At  first  the  border  states,  or  those  overrun  by  the  enemy,  gave  few 
additions  to  the  conscript  camps. 

Kentucky,  on  whose  adherence  and  solid  aid  to  the  cause  such 
reliance  had  been  placed  in  the  beginning,  had  sadly  failed  to  meet 
it.  With  the  reminiscences  of  her  early  chivalry,  her  romantic  warfare  of 
the  "  Dark  and  Bloody  Ground,"  an'd  the  warlike  habits  of  her  men, 
mingled  considerations  of  the  usefulness  of  her  vast  resources  and 
her  natural  points  for  defense,  lying  so  near  the  Federal  territory. 
But  as  the  war  wore  on  and  the  state  still  wavered,  the  bent  of  her 
people  seemed  strangely  to  incline  to  the  northern  side.  Seeking  a 
neutrality  that  was  clearly  impossible,  the  division  in  her  councils 
admitted  the  Federals  within  her  borders.  Then,  when  it  was  hope- 
less to  do  more,  the  noblest  and  most  honored  of  her  sons  left  Ken- 


1 82  Four  Years  in  Rebel  Capitals. 

tucky  and  ranged  themselves  under  that  banner  they  had  in  vain 
sought  to  unfurl  over  her. 

Like  Maryland,  Kentucky  had  early  formed  a  corps  d'  elite,  called 
the  "  State  Guard,"  which  numbered  many  of  the  best-born  and  most 
cultured  young  men  of  the  state,  with  headquarters  at  Louisville. 
This  was  commanded  by  General  S.  B.  Buckner  and  under  the  gen- 
eral control  of  Governor  Magoffin.  This  corps  was  supposed  to 
represent  the  feelings  of  all  better  citizens  in  its  opposition  to  the 
Union  cause. 

But  when  the  action  of  political  schemers — aided  by  the  designs 
of  a  money-loving  and  interested  populace — laid  Kentucky,  like 
Maryland,  bound  hand  and  foot  at  the  feet  of  the  Federal  govern- 
ment ;  when  the  Union  council  of  the  state  strove  to  disarm  or  put 
them  in  the  Union  ranks,  the  soldiers  of  the  "State  Guard"  left  un- 
hesitatingly and  joined  the  army  of  the  South  in  large  numbers. 

Late  in  November,  1861,  a  convention  had  met;  and,  declaring 
all  bonds  with  the  Union  dissolved,  passed  a  formal  Ordinance  of 
Secession  and  sent  delegates  to  ask  admission  from  the  Richmond 
Congress.  A  month  later  Kentucky  was  formally  declared  a  mem- 
ber of  the  Confederacy ;  but  before  that  time  Buckner  and  Breckin- 
ridge  had  received  the  commissions,  with  which  they  were  to  win 
names  as  proud  as  any  in  the  bright  array  of  the  South ;  a  Kentucky 
brigade — whose  endurance  and  valiant  deeds  were  to  shed  a  luster 
on  her  name  that  even  the  acts  of  her  recreant  sons  could  not  dim — 
were  in  General  Johnston's  van  ;  some  of  her  ablest  and  most  ven- 
erable statesmen  had  given  up  honors  and  home  for  the  privilege  of 
being  freemen !  All  the  South  knew  that  the  admission  of  the  state 
was  but  an  empty  form — powerless  alike  to  aid  their  cause,  or  to 
wrest  her  from  the  firm  grasp  the  Federal  government  had  set  upon 
her. 

At  the  time  of  the  first  conscription  the  few  men  left  in  Kentucky, 
who  had  the  will,  could  not  make  their  way  into  Confederate 
camps ;  far  less  could  the  unwilling  be  forced  to  come. 

Tennessee,  also,  had  been  a  source  of  uneasiness  to  the  Richmond 
Government  from  the  spread  of  Union  tendencies  among  a  portion  of 
her  inhabitants.  Though  she  had  been  a  member  of  the  Confederacy 
near  a  year,  still  the  half  civilized  and  mountainous  portions  of  her 
territory,  known  as  East  Tennessee,  had  done  little  but  annoy  the 


Four  Years  in  Rebel  Capitals.  183 

army  near  it,  by  petty  hostilities  and  even  by  a  concerted  plan  for 
burning  all  the  railroad  bridges  in  that  section  and  thus  crippling 
communications. 

Fortunately  this  scheme  had  been  frustrated,  and  the  half-savage 
population — for  the  better  class  of  Tennesseeans  were  almost  unani- 
mous in  expression  of  loyalty  to  the  South — kept  in  subjection. 

But  now  with  her  soil  overrun  by  Federal  soldiers,  and  with  a 
Federal  fleet  in  every  river,  the  state  could  not  respond  to  the  call 
of  the  South ;  and,  of  course,  the  soldiers  she  yielded  the  conscription 
were  from  the  narrow  tracts  in  Confederate  possession  only. 

One  hears  much  of  the  "Union  feeling  "  in  the  South  during  the 
war.  Immediately  on  its  close,  a  rank  crop  of  "  southern  loyalists  " 
had  sprung  up  in  many  quarters;  basking  in  the  rays  of  the  Freedmen's 
Bureau  and  plentifully  manured  with  promises  and  brotherly  love  by 
the  open-mouthed  and  close-fisted  philanthropy  of  New  England. 
But  like  all  dunghill  products,  the  life  of  these  was  ephemeral.  Its 
root  struck  no  deeper  than  the  refuse  the  war  had  left ;  and  during 
its  continuance  the  genus  was  so  little  known  that  a  Carlyle,  or  a 
Brownlow,  was  looked  upon  with  the  same  curiosity  and  disgust  as  a 
very  rare,  but  a  very  filthy,  exotic. 

With  the  exceptions  of  portions  of  Kentucky  and  Tennessee,  no 
parts  of  the  South  were  untrue  to  the  government  they  had  accepted. 

Florida  was  called  "loyal"  and  General  Finnegan  proved  with 
what  truth.  "Loyal"  Missouri  has  written  her  record  in  the  blood 
of  Price's  ragged  heroes.  Louisiana,  crushed  by  the  iron  •  heel  of 
military  power,  spoiled  of  her  household  gods  and  insulted  in  her 
women's  name,  still  bowed  not  her  proud  head  to  the  flag  that  had 
thus  become  hostile. 

And  the  Valley  of  Virginia !  Ploughed  by  the  tramp  of  invading 
squadrons — her  fair  fields  laid  waste  and  the  sanctity  of  her  every 
household  invaded — alternately  the  battle-ground  of  friend  and  foe — 
where  was  her  "loyalty?" 

Pinched  for  her  daily  food,  subsidized  to-day  by  the  enemy  and 
freely  giving  to-morrow  to  their  own  people — with  farming  utensils, 
destroyed  and  barns  bursting  with  grain  burned  in  wanton  deviltry — 
the  people  of  the  Valley  still  held  to  the  allegiance  to  the  flag  they 
loved ;  and  the  last  note  of  the  southern  bugle  found  as  ready  echo 
in  their  hearts  as  in  the  first  days  of  the  invasion — 


184  Four  Years  in  Rebel  Capitals. 

"Their  foes  had  found  enchanted  ground — 
But  not  a  knight  asleep  !  " 

In  possibly  one  or  two  instances,  the  official  reports  of  invading 
generals  may  have  been  in  some  slight  degree  erroneous ;  newspaper 
correspondents  are  not  in  every  instance  absolutely  infallible ;  and 
perhaps  it  was  more  grateful  to  the  tender  sensibilities  of  the  war 
party  at  the  North  to  feel  that  there  were  hearts  of  brothers  beating 
for  them  in  the  glare  of  burning  rooftrees,  or  swelling  with  still  more 
loyal  fervor  to  the  cry  of  the  insulted  wife ! 

But  at  this  day — when  the  clap-trap  of  war  has  died  away  with  the 
roll  of  its  drums ;  when  reason  may  in  some  sort  take  the  place  of 
partisan  rage — not  one  honest  and  informed  thinker  in  the  North 
believes  that  "  loyal "  feeling  ever  had  deep  root  anywhere  among 
the  southern  masses;  or  that  "  loyal  citizens"  were  as  one  in  ten 
thousand ! 

Whole  communities  may  have  murmured ;  there  may  have  been 
"  schism  in  the  council  and  robbery  in  the  mart ;  "  demagogues  may 
have  used  wild  comparisons  and  terrible  threats  about  the  Government ; 
staunch  and  fearless  newspapers  may  have  boldly  exposed  its  errors 
and  mercilessly  lashed  its  weak  or  unworthy  members ;  some  men 
may  have  skulked  and  dodged  from  their  rightful  places  in  the  bat- 
tle's front ! 

But,  however  misplaced  the  world's  verdict  may  declare  their 
zeal — however  great  the  error  for  which  they  fought  and  suffered  and 
died — no  man  to-day  dare  refuse  to  the  southern  people  the  meed  of 
their  unparalleled  constancy  ! 

Even  conquered — manacled  and  gagged  by  the  blind  and  blood- 
thirsty faction  in  power — the  southern  people  held  to  the  small  frag- 
ments of  rights  left  them,  with  brave  tenacity.  Willing  to  accept  that 
arbitration  to  which  they  had  submitted  their  cause,  and  ready  to 
take  the  hand  of  fellowship  if  offered,  they  still  preferred  to  suffer 
with  the  bright  memories  of  their  past,  rather  than  to  efface  them  by 
signing  their  own  degradation. 

They  were  conquered  and  bound  in  the  flesh,  but  there  was 
enough  of  manhood  left  in  the  spirit  to  say — 

•'Though  ye  conquer  us,  men  of  the  North,  know  ye  not 

What  fierce,  sullen  hatred  lurks  under  the  scar? 
How  loyal  to  Hapsburg  is  Venice,  I  wot ! 

How  dearly  the  Pole  loves  '  his  father  ' — the  Czar ! " 


Four  Years  in  Rebel  Capitals.  185 

No  more  singular  sight  was  presented  by  all  the  war  than  the 
conscript  depot  at  Richmond.  The  men  from  the  "  camps  of  in- 
struction" in  the  several  states — after  a  short  sojourn  to  learn  the 
simplest  routine  of  the  camp,  and  often  thoroughly  untaught  in 
the  manual  even — were  sent  here  to  be  in  greater  readiness  when 
wanted.  Such  officers  as  could  be  spared  were  put  in  charge  of 
them,  and  the  cadets  of  the  Virginia  Military  Institute  were  em- 
ployed as  drill  officers. 

Citizens  of  various  states — young,  old,  honest  and  vicious  alike — 
the  conscripts  were  crowded  together  in  camp,  left  to  their  own 
devices  enough  to  make  them  learn  to  live  as  soldiers ;  and  put 
through  constant  drill  and  parade  to  accustom  them  to  the  use  of  arms. 

Almost  every  variety  of  costume  obtained  among  them.  The 
butternut  jacket  with  blue  pants  of  the  Federal  soldier,  the  homespun 
shirt  with  the  cast-off  pants  of  some  lucky  officer;  and  the  black 
broadcloth  frock  and  jauntily-cut  pants  that  some  friendly  lady  had 
ransacked  her  absent  one's  stores  to  give,  all  appeared  on  dress 
parade ;  surmounted  by  every  variety  of  head  gear,  from  the  straw 
hat  of  many  seasons  to  the  woolen  night-cap  the  good  "marm"  had 
knitted. 

Notwithstanding  much  work,  there  was  still  too  much  leisure  time ; 
and  "apple  jack"  filtered  its  way  through  provost  guards,  and  cards, 
the  greasiest  and  most  bethumbed,  wiled  many  an  hour  for  the 
unwary  and  verdant. 

The  lower  class  of  conscripts  were  almost  invariably  from  the  cities 
— the  refuse  population  of  the  wharf,  bar-room  and  hotel.  Unwilling 
to  volunteer,  these  gentry  skulked  behind  every  excuse  to  avoid 
conscription;  but  when  forced  off  at  last,  they  and  the  substitutes 
banded  in  an  unholy  brotherhood  to  make  the  best  of  their  position. 

Ringleaders  in  every  insubordination  and  every  vice  they  assumed 
a  degage  air  of  superiority,  and  fleeced  their  verdant  companions  of 
the  very  clothes  they  wore ;  while  they  made  the  impure  air  of  the 
camps  more  foul  with  ribald  jest  and  profane  song. 

A  single  glance  segregated  this  element  from  the  quiet  country 
conscripts.  The  latter  were  generally  gloomy,  thinking  of  the  field 
untilled  and  the  wife  and  little  ones,  perhaps,  unfed.  When  they 
drank  "new  dip"  it  was  to  drown  thought,  for  the  fumes  of  every 
stew-pan  brought  back  shadowy  memories  of  home  and  comfort;  and 


1 86  Four  Years  in  Rebel  Capitals. 

when  they  slept  on  the  damp  ground — wrapped  in  the  chance  rug,  or 
worn  scrap  of  carpet  charity  had  bestowed — a  sad  procession  marched 
through  their  dreams,  and  sorrowful  and  starving  figures  beckoned 
them  from  mountain  side  and  hamlet. 

Great  misery  and  destitution  followed  the  conscription.  Large 
numbers  of  men,  called  from  their  fields  just  as  they  were  most 
needed,  cut  down  greatly  the  supplies  of  grain.  Almost  all  who  re- 
mained at  home  bought  their  exemption  by  giving  so  large  a  portion 
of  their  product  to  Government  as  to  reduce  civil  supplies  still  more ; 
and  these  two  facts  so  enhanced  the  price  of  food — and  so  reduced 
the  value  of  money — that  the  poorer  classes  rapidly  became  destitute 
of  all  but  the  barest  means  of  life.  Whether  this  was  the  result  of 
inevitable  circumstance,  or  the  offspring  of  mismanagement,  in  no  way 
affects  the  fact.  Food  became  very  hard  to  procure  even  at  high 
prices ;  and  the  money  to  get  it  was  daily  more  and  more  monopolized 
by  a  grasping  few. 

The  Confederate  soldier  now  had  a  double  share  of  toil  and  tort- 
ure. When  the  smoke  of  the  fight  rolled  away,  and  with  it  the 
sustaining  glow  of  battle,  thought  bore  him  but  grim  companionship 
at  the  camp  fireside ;  for  he  saw  famine  stalk  gaunt  and  pale  through 
what  had  been  his  home. 

When  tidings  of  want  and  misery  came,  he  strove  to  bear  them. 
When  he  heard  of  burning  and  outrage — where  naught  was  left  to 
plunder — who  may  wonder  that  he  sometimes  .fled  from  duty  to  his 
country,  to  that  duty  more  sacred  to  him  of  saving  his  wife  and 
children ! 

lrWho  does  not  wonder,  rather,  in  reading  the  history  of  those 
frightful  days,  that  desertions  were  so  few — that  untutored  human 
nature  could  hide  in  its  depths  such  constancy  and  devotion  to  prin- 
ciple ! 

But,  great  as  were  the  privation  and  the  suffering  caused  by  the 
first  conscription,  they  were  still  to  be  increased.  Through  those 
twin  abortions  of  legislation,  the  substitute  and  exemption  bills,  the 
results  of  the  first  law  proved  inadequate  to  fill  the  gaps  of  the  fatal 
fights  of  the  summer. 

Detail  and  substitute  had  done  their  work,  as  thoroughly  as  had 
the  shells  of  Malvern  Hill,  the  bullets  of  Sharpsburg,  or  the  raw  corn 
of  the  retreat  to  the  river. 


Four  Years  in  Rebel  Capitals.  187 

More  men  were  wanted !  At  whatever  cost  in  territory,  or  in  suf- 
fering, more  men  must  be  had.  And  on  the  2jth  September,  Con- 
gress passed  an  act  extending  the  age  of  conscription  from  1 8  to  45 
years.  But  the  exemption  and  substitute  laws  remained  as  effective 
as  ever.  True,  some  feeble  moves  were  made  toward  narrowing  the 
limits  of  the  former;  but  while  it  stood  a  law  in  any  form,  enough 
could  be  found  to  read  it  in  any  way.  The  extension  law,  while  it 
still  further  drained  the  almost  exhausted  country — and  left  in  its 
track  deeper  suffering  and  destitution,  that  brought  famine  from  a 
comparative  term  into  an  actual  verity — still  left  in  the  cities  an  able- 
bodied  and  numerous  class;  who,  if  not  actually  useless,  were  far 
more  so  than  the  food-producing  countrymen  sent  to  the  front  to  take 
their  places. 

Yet  so  blind  was  the  Congress — so  impervious  to  the  sharpest 
teachings  of  necessity  and  so  deaf  to  the  voice  of  common  sense  and 
reason,  that  unceasingly  upbraided  it — that  this  state  of  things  con- 
tinued more  than  a  year  from  the  passage  of  the  extension  act. 

Then,  when  it  was  almost  too  late  for  human  aid  to  save  the  cause 
— when  the  enemy  had  not  only  surrounded  the  contracted  territory 
on  every  side,  but  had  penetrated  into  its  very  heart — the  substitute 
bill  was  repealed,  and  every  man  in  the  land  between  the  ages  of  18 
and  45,  declared  a  Confederate  soldier  subject  to  service.  Then, 
too,  the  abuses  of  exemption  and  detail,  so  often  and  so  clearly 
pointed  out,  were  looked  into  and  measurably  corrected. 

Further  than  this,  all  boys  from  16  to  18,  and  older  men,  from  45 
to  60,  though  not conscribed,were  formed  into  reserve  "home  guards;" 
and  then  General  Grant  wrote  to  Washington  that  the  cause  was  won 
when  the  Rebels  "robbed  the  cradle  and  the  grave." 

But  the  infantile  and  the  moribund  murmured  not ;  and  more  than 
once  a  raid  was  turned  and  a  sharp  skirmish  won,  when  the  withered 
cheek  of  the  octogenarian  was  next  the  rosy  face  of  the  beardless 
stripling ! 

Only  one  complaint  came,  and  that  was  heard  with  grim  amuse- 
ment alike  by  veteran,  by  conscript,  and  by  substitute. 

The  substitute  buyers  now  loudly  raised  a  wail  of  anguish. 
Plethoric  ledger  and  overflowing  till,  alas!  must  be  left;  the  auction- 
eer's hammer  and  the  peaceful  shears  must  alike  be  thrown  aside,  and 
the  rusty  musket  grasped  instead;  soft  beds  and  sweet  dreams  of 


1 88  Four  Years  in  Rebel  Capitals. 

to-morrow's  profit  must  be  replaced  by  red  mud  and  the  midnight  long 
rolll 

It  was  very  bitter ;  and  rising  in  their  wrath,  a  few  of  these  railed 
at  the  perfidy  of  the  Government  in  breaking  a  contract ;  and  even 
employed  counsel  to  prove  that  in  effect  they  were  already  in  the 
field. 

One  ardent  speculator  even  sought  the  War  Department  and  logi- 
cally proved  that,  having  sent  a  substitute,  who  was  virtually  himself, 
and  that  substitute  having  been  killed,  he  himself  was  a  dead  man, 
from  whom  the  law  could  claim  no  service ! 

But  the  Department  was  now  as  deaf  as  the  adder  of  Scripture ; 
and  the  counsel,  let  us  hope,  pleaded  not  very  earnestly.  So  the  sub- 
stitute buyers — except  in  the  few  cases  where  the  long  finger  of  influ- 
ential patronage  could  even  now  intervene — went,  as  their  ill-gotten 
dollars  had  gone  before. 

It  is  plainly  impossible,  in  limits  of  a  desultory  sketch,  to  give  even 
a  faint  outline  of  the  conscription.  Its  ramifications  were  so  great — 
the  stress  that  caused  it  so  dire,  and  the  weaknesses  and  abuses  that 
grew  out  of  it  so  numerous,  that  a  history  of  them  were  but  a  his- 
tory of  the  war. 

Faithfully  and  stringently  carried  out,  it  might  have  saved  the 
South.  Loosely  constructed  and  open  to  abuse,  it  was  still  the  most 
potent  engine  the  Government  had  used ;  and  while  it  failed  of  its  in- 
tent, it  still  for  the  first  time  caused  the  invader  to  be  met  by  any- 
thing approaching  the  whole  strength  of  the  country. 

Under  its  later  workings,  every  man  in  the  South  was  a  soldier ;  but 
that  consummation,  which  earlier  might  have  been  salvation — came 
only  when  the  throes  of  death  had  already  begun  to  seize  her  vitals. 


Four  Years  in  Rebel  Capitals.  189 


CHAPTER  XXII. 

WAITING   FOR   THE   ORDEAL  BY   COMBAT. 

If  any  good  fruits  were  to  grow  from  the  conscription,  the  seed 
had  not  been  planted  a  moment  too  soon. 

The  whole  power  of  the  Union  was  now  to  be  exerted  against  the 
South ;  and  the  Washington  idea  plainly  was  to  lay  the  ax  at  the  very 
root  of  the  rebellion. 

Desultory  movement  had  already  begun  in  the  Valley  and  along 
the  river ;  but  it  masked  in  nowise  plain  indication  of  the  massing 
of  troops  for  another,  and  a  greater,  "On  to  Richmond !" 

The  separate  corps  of  Banks,  Fremont  and  Shields  were  hovering 
about  the  flanks  of  the  devoted  Army  of  Manassas ;  and  the  decisive 
blow  was  evidently  to  be  aimed  at  that  point.  But  the  clear-sighted 
and  cool-headed  tactician  at  the  head  of  the  bulwark  of  Virginia  saw  far 
beyond  the  blundering  war-chess  of  his  antagonist.  He  prepared 
to  checkmate  McClellan's  whole  combination;  and  suddenly — after 
weeks  of  quiet  preparation,  of  which  the  country  knew  no  more  than 
the  enemy — Manassas  was  evacuated  ! 

To  effect  this  movement,  it  was  necessary  to  abandon  all  the  heavy 
river  batteries,  guarding  the  Potomac,  at  immense  loss  in  guns  and 
material ;  and  to  destroy  large  quantities  of  commissary  stores,  for 
which  there  was  no  transportation.  But,  "Joe  Johnston  "  held  the 
movement  to  be  necessary ;  and,  by  this  time  the  South  had  learned 
to  accept  that  what  he  thought  must  be  correct.  The  great  disparity 
in  numbers,  and  the  evident  purpose  of  the  Federals  to  make  Rich- 
mond the  focal  point  of  attack,  spoke  plainly  to  that  perfect  soldier 
the  necessity — coute  que  toute — of  bringing  his  army  within  easy 
striking  distance  of  the  Capital. 

Stonewall  Jackson — with  Swell's  and  Early's  divisions  of  less  than 
ten  thousand  men  of  all  arms — was  detached  to  watch  the  enemy; 
and  the  retrograde  movement  was  completed  so  successfully  that 
McClellan  never  suspected  the  evacuation.  Two  days  later,  his 


1 90  Four  Years  in  Rebel  Capitals. 

grand  array — "an  army  with  banners,"  bands  braying  and  new  arms 
glinting  in  the  sun — moved  down  to  the  attack ;  and  then,  doubtless 
to  his  infinite  digust,  he  found  only  the  smoking  and  deserted  debris 
of  the  Confederate  camp.  The  army  he  had  hoped  to  annihilate 
was  on  its  steady  and  orderly  march  for  Richmond. 

Immediately,  the  baffled  Federal  embarked  his  entire  force  and 
landed  it  on  the  Peninsula — formed  by  the  junction  of  the  York  and 
James  rivers — in  front  of  Magruder's  fortifications.  Failing  at  the 
front  door,  McClellan  again  read  Cassar,  and  essayed  the  back 
entrance. 

Magruder's  line  of  defense — a  long  one,  reaching  entirely  across 
the  Federal  advance— was  held  by  a  nominal  force,  not  exceeding 
7,500  effective  men.  Had  this  fact  been  known  to  its  com- 
mander, the  "grand  army"  might  easily  have  swept  this  handful 
before  it  and  marched,  unopposed,  into  the  Southern  Capital.  But 
"Prince  John"  was  a  wily  and  bold  soldier;  and,  while  he  sent  to 
the  rear  most  urgent  statements  of  his  dire  need  and  pressed  the  gov- 
ernment for  re-enforcement,  he  kept  his  front  covered  by  ceaseless 
vigilance,  constant  shifting  of  his  thinned  battalions  and  continued 
active  advance  skirmishing.  So  effective  was  this  as  entirely  to  de- 
ceive the  enemy.  McClellan  sat  down  before  him  and  began  to 
fortify! 

Amid  the  anxiety  of  that  moment  and  the  rapid  rush  of  grave 
events  that  followed  immediately  upon  it,  the  great  importance  of 
Magruder's  tactics  on  the  Peninsula  has  largely  been  lost  sight  of. 
That  they  were  simply  not  to  be  overestimated,  it  is  tardy  justice  to 
state.  For,  there  were  scores  of  occasions  in  those  grim  four  years, 
when  the  cant  went  out — "  We  might  have  ended  the  war  right 
here ! "  It  was  ever  coupled  with — and  nullified  by — a  large  and  so- 
norous "if;"  but  there  is  no  question  but  that — had  Magruder  per- 
mitted the  tactician  in  his  front  to  estimate  his  weakness — the  "Seven 
days'  fights"  would  never  have  been  won,  for  Richmond  would  have 
been  lost ! 

It  were  impossible  to  describe  accurately  the  state  of  public  feel- 
ing, which  now  prevailed  in  the  Southern  Capital.  Absolutely  in 
the  dark  as  to  the  actual  movement  and  its  consequences ;  knowing 
only  that  their  cherished  stronghold,  Manassas,  was  deserted  and  its 
splendid  system  of  river  batteries  left  a  spoil;  hearing  only  the 


Four  Years  in  Rebel  Capitals.  191 

gloomiest  echoes  from  the  Peninsular  advance  and  ignorant  of  John- 
ston's plans— or  even  of  his  whereabouts — it  was  but  natural  that  a 
gloomy  sense  of  insecurity  should  have  settled  down  upon  the  masses, 
as  a  pall.  A  dread  oppressed  them  that  the  recent  dramas  of  Nash- 
ville and  New  Orleans  were  to  be  re-enacted  on  their  own  central 
theater;  and,  ever  barometric,  the  people  let  the  mercury  drop  to 
zero,  as  they  read  the  indications  in  one  another's  faces.  Social 
pleasures  lately  so  frequent — social  intercourse  almost — were  now 
known  no  more.  The  music  one  heard  was  the  quick  tap  of  the 
timing  drum ;  the  only  step  thought  of,  the  double  quick  to  the  front. 
But  gradually,  the  army  that  had  been  maneuvering  about  the 
Rappahannock  began  to  arrive;  and  day  and  night  the  endless 
stream  of  muddy  men  poured  down  Main  street,  in  steady  tramp  for 
the  Peninsula.  Grim  and  bronzed  they  were,  those  veterans  of 
Manassas;  smeared  with  the  clay  of  their  camp,  unwashed,  unkempt, 
unfed ;  many  ragged  and  some  shoeless.  But  they  tramped  through 
Richmond — after  their  forced  march — with  cheery  aspect  that  put  to 
flight  the  doubts  and  fears  of  her  people.  Their  bearing  electrified 
the  citizens;  and  for  the  moment,  the  rosy  clouds  of  hope  again 
floated  above  the  horizon. 

Even  the  scanty  ration  the  soldiers  had  become  inured  to  had  been 
reduced  by  necessities  of  their  rapid  march;  and  that  knowledge 
caused  every  corps  that  passed  through  to  receive  substantial  tokens 
of  the  sympathy  and  good  will  of  the  townspeople.  Ladies  and 
children  thronged  the  sidewalks,  pressing  on  their  defenders  every- 
thing which  the  scanty  Confederate  larder  could  supply;  while,  from 
many  of  the  houses,  gloves,  socks  and  comforters  rained  down  upon 
the  worst  clad  of  the  companies. 

"Johnny  Reb"  was  ever  a  cheerful  animal,  with  a  general  spice 
of  sardonic  humor.  Thus  refreshed,  inwardly  and  outwardly,  the 
men  would  march  down  the  street ;  answering  the  waving  handker- 
chiefs at  every  window  with  wild  cheers,  swelling  sometimes  into  the 
indescribable  "rebel  yell!"  Nor  did  they  spare  any  amount  of 
good-natured  chaff  to  those  luckless  stay-at-homes  encountered  on 
the  streets. 

"  Come  out'r  that  black  coat !  I  see  yer  in  it!" — "  I  know  ye're  a 
conscrip'.  Don't  yer  want  'er  go  for  a  sojer  ?" — "  Yere's  yer  chance 
ter  git  yer  substertoot ! " — and  like  shouts,  leveled  at  the  head  of  some 


1 92  Four  Years  in  Rebel  Capitals. 

unlucky  wight,  constantly  brought  roars  of  laughter  from  the  soldiers 
and  from  his  not  sympathetic  friends.  Passing  one  house,  a  pale, 
boyish-looking  youth  was  noted  at  a  window  with  a  lady.  Both 
waved  handkerchiefs  energetically;  and  the  men  answered  with  a 
yell.  But  the  opportunity  was  too  good  to  lose. 

"Come  right  along,  sonny!  The  lady '11  spare  yer !  Here's  a 
little  muskit  fur  ye' !" 

"All  right,  boys!"  cheerily  responded  the  youth,  rising  from  his 
seat — "Have  you  got  a  leg  for  me,  too?"  And  Colonel  F.  stuck 
the  shortest  of  stumps  on  the  window-sill. 

With  one  impulse  the  battalion  halted ;  faced  to  the  window,  and 
spontaneously  came  to  "Present!"  as  the  ringing  rebel  yell  rattled 
the  windows  of  that  block.  The  chord  had  been  touched  that  the 
roughest  soldier  ever  felt ! 

Then  came  the  calm ;  when  the  last  straggler  had  marched  through 
to  the  front  and  Johnston's  junction  with  Magruder  was  accom- 
plished. The  rosy  clouds  faded  into  gray  again ;  and,  though  the 
fluttering  pulse  of  Richmond  beat  a  little  more  steadily,  it  was  not 
entirely  normal.  Rumors  came  from  Yorktown  of  suffering  and  dis- 
content. Coupled  with  exaggerations  of  the  really  overwhelming 
force  the  enemy  had  massed  before  it,  they  proved  anything  but  en- 
couraging. Still,  there  was  no  hopelessness;  and  the  preparations, 
that  had  by  this  time  become  a  matter  of  certainty — stretchers — 
bandages — lint  and  coarse,  narrow  sheets — went  steadily  on. 

The  brave  women  of  the  city  were  a  constant  reproach,  in  their 
quiet,  unmurmuring  industry,  to  the  not  infrequently  faint-hearted 
and  despondent  men.  Constantly  they  worked  on,  and  tried  to  look 
cheerfully  on  the  future  by  the  light  of  the  past.  No  one  among 
them  but  knew  that  real  and  serious  danger  threatened;  no  one 
among  them  but  believed  that  it  would  be  met  as  it  had  been  met  be- 
fore— boldly  without  doubt ;  triumphantly  if  God  willed! 

No  need  for  Virginia's  sons  to  read  of  the  Gracchi,  with  a  thou- 
sand Cornelias  working  cheerily  and  faithfully  on  the  hard,  tough 
fabrics  for  them.  One  day  an  order  came  for  thirty  thousand  sand- 
bags. Never  before  did  needles  fly  so  fast,  for  who  could  tell  but 
what  that  very  bag  might  stand  between  death  and  a  heart  dearer  far 
than  aught  else  on  earth.  Thirty  hours  after  the  order  came,  the 
women  of  Richmond  had  sent  the  bags  to  Yorktown  ! 


Four  Years  in  Rebel  Capitals.  193 

At  length,  after  three  weeks  of  trying  suspense,  filled  with  every 
fantastic  shape  of  doubt  and  dread,  came  news  of  the  evacuation  of 
Norfolk,  the  destruction  of  the  iron-clad  "Virginia,"  and  of  the  re- 
treat from  the  Peninsula.  Not  appreciating  the  strategical  reasons 
for  these  movements,  Richmond  lost  her  temporary  quiet  and  again 
fell  to  lamenting  the  dark  prospects  for  the  city. 

On  the  4th  of  May,  the  last  of  the  Confederate  forces  evacuated 
Yorktown;  reluctantly  turning  their  backs  on  the  enemy,  to  take  up 
the  line  of  march  for  Richmond. 

Next  day  McClellan's  advance  pressed  on ;  and  overtaking  their 
rear,  under  Longstreet,  began  heavy  skirmishing  to  harass  it,  near 
Williamsburg.  Seeing  the  necessity  of  checking  too  vigorous  pur- 
suit, and  of  teaching  the  Federals  a  lesson,  Longstreet  made  a 
stand;  and,  after  a  severe  conflict — in  which  he  inflicted  much  heav- 
ier loss  than  he  sustained,  besides  capturing  several  field  pieces  and 
colors — again  took  up  his  march  unmolested. 

The  battle  of  Williamsburg  was  the  one  brilliant  episode  of  that 
gloomy  retreat.  Although  the  main  army  could  not  be  checked  to 
give  him  re-enforcement,  and  his  wounded  had  to  be  left  in  the  hands 
of  the  enemy,  Longstreet  had  gained  a  decided  and  effective  suc- 
cess. But  this  one  misfortune  for  the  moment  dimmed  the  luster  of 
his  achievement  in  the  eyes  of  the  Richmond  people ;  and,  perhaps, 
prevented  much  of  the  good  effect  its  decisive  character  might  other- 
wise have  had. 

The  appearance  of  the  army,  after  the  retreat  from  Williamsburg, 
did  not  tend  to  cheer  the  inexpert.  First  came  squads  of  conva- 
lescent sick,  barely  able  to  march,  who  had  been  sent  ahead  to  save 
the  ambulances  for  those  worse  than  they.  It  was  a  black  Sunday 
afternoon,  when  those  wan  and  hollow-eyed  men  limped  pain- 
fully through  the  streets  on  their  weary  way  to  Camp  Winder 
Hospital.  Weak — mud-encrusted  and  utterly  emaciated — many  of 
them  fell  by  the  roadside  ;  while  others  thankfully  accepted  the  rough 
transportation  of  any  chance  wagon,  or  cart,  that  could  carry  them 
to  the  rest  they  yearned  for. 

But  willing  and  energetic  workers  were  at  hand.  Orders  were  ob- 
tained ;  and  carriages  returning  from  church,  hotel  omnibuses — every 
wheeled  thing  upon  the  streets  were  impressed  for  the  service  of 
mercy.  By  late  afternoon  the  wards  of  Winder  Hospital  were  over- 

13 


594  Four  Years  in  Rebel  Capitals. 

flowing;  but  negligent,  or  overworked,  commissaries  had  neglected 
to  provide  food,  and  many  of  the  men — in  their  exhausted  condition 
— were  reported  dying  of  starvation!  Few  women  in  Richmond 
dined  that  Sabbath.  Whole  neighborhoods  brought  their  untasted 
dinners  to  the  chief  worker  among  them  ;  and  carriages  and  carts — 
loaded  with  baskets  and  hampers  and  bearing  a  precious  freight  of 
loving  womanhood — wended  their  way  to  the  hospital.  By  night 
hundreds  of  poor  fellows  had  eaten  such  food  as  they  had  not  dreamed 
of  for  months;  gentle  hands  had  smoothed  their  pillows  and  proffered 
needed  stimulants ;  and  sympathizing  voices  had  bid  them  be  of  good 
cheer,  for  to-morrow  would  dawn  bright  for  all. 

But  were  these  worn  and  wretched  men  a  fair  sample  of  the  army 
that  was  to  battle  for  their  dear  city  against  the  fresh  thousands  of 
McClellan  ?  Oh,  God !  Had  toil  and  privation  done  its  work  so 
thoroughly;  and  were  these  the  proud  array  that  had  marched  to 
Manassas — the  hardened,  but  gallant  host  that  had  gone  gaily  to 
Yorktown?  Were  these  the  only  dependence  of  their  hopes  and 
their  cause  ? 

Sad  and  troubled  were  the  hearts  that  beat  that  day,  around  the 
•wretched  cots  of  the  sufferers.  But  never  a  hand  trembled — never  a 
voice  faltered,  as  those  grand  women  wrought  on  at  their  mission  of 
mercy. 

After  these  came  a  few  stragglers  and  camp  followers  in  hardly 
better  plight ;  then  the  wagon  trains ;  and,  finally,  the  army. 

The  roads  were  in  wretched  condition.  Spring  rains  and  constant 
use  had  churned  them  into  liquid  red  mud.  Hungry  and  worn,  the 
men  struggled  through  it  day  after  day — bearing  their  all  on  their 
backs,  unable  to  halt  for  cooking;  and  frequently  stopped  to  labor  on 
a  broken-down  battery,  or  a  mired  wagon.  Discipline  naturally 
relaxed.  It  was  impossible  to  keep  the  weary  and  half-starved  men 
to  regular  routine.  They  straggled  into  Richmond  muddy — dispirited 
— exhausted ;  and,  throwing  themselves  on  cellar  doors  and  sidewalks, 
slept  heavily,  regardless  of  curious  starers  that  collected  around  every 
group. 

Never  had  the  Southern  army  appeared  half  so  demoralized  ;  half 
so  unfit  to  cope  with  the  triumphant  and  well-appointed  brigades 
pressing  close  upon  it.  Had  McClellan  been  at  hand,  there  is  little 
doubt  as  to  what  the  result  would  have  been;  but  a  few  days  sufficed 
to  change  the  appearance  of  the  whole  army  fabric. 


Four  Years  in  Rebel  Capitals.  195 

Renewed  discipline — that  magnetic  "  touch  of  the  elbow  " — atten- 
tion to  the  commissariat  and  the  healthy  location  of  their  new  camp- 
ing grounds  brought  the  men  back  to  good  condition  in  a  time  won- 
derfully short  to  the  lookers-on  in  the  city. 

But  they  were  to  have  little  rest.  McClellan  advanced  to  the 
Chickahominy  and  strongly  fortified  his  position.  Johnston  fronted 
him;  and  though  too  weak  to  attack  at  this  moment,  it  became 
apparent  that  the  first  move  in  the  game  for  the  great  stake  must  be 
made  in  a  few  days.  And  it  was  equally  plain  that  it  was  to  be  made 
under  the  loving  eyes  of  those  all  fought  best  for ;  within  hearing  of 
the  Cabinet  itself ! 

The  details  of  the  campaign  of  this  eventful  summer  are  too  well 
known — and  have  been  too  minutely  and  eloquently  described,  even 
were  there  space — for  me  to  attempt  their  repetition  here. 

For  a  week  the  armies  faced  each  other,  plainly  in  sight;  the  shrill 
notes  of  "  Dixie  "  mingling  with  the  brazen  strains  from  the  Federal 
bands;  and  yet  no  movement  was  made.  Once  more  Richmond 
assumed  her  old  activity  and  became  a  vast  camp.  Busy  looking 
officers  hastened  from  point  to  point;  regiments  shifting  position 
passed  through  town  every  hour;  mounted  orderlies  dashed  in  all 
directions  and  batteries,  wagon  trains  and  ambulances  rumbled  in  and 
out  of  town  by  every  road.  The  reflection  of  the  activity  around 
them,  and  the  improved  condition  of  the  army — in  physique  and 
morale — inspired  the  people ;  and  they  once  more  began  to  feel  hope- 
ful, if  not  overconfident. 

Still  the  river  was  undefended.  There  was  no  fort.  Only  a  few 
water  batteries — out  of  which  the  men  could  easily  be  shelled — and  a 
few  useless  wooden  gunboats  protected  the  water  approach  to  the 
Capital.  Up  this  the  heavy  fleet  of  Federal  iron-clads  was  even  now 
carefully  sounding  its  way.  Every  means  had  been  taken  to  wake 
the  Government  to  the  necessity  of  obstructing  the  river ;  but  either 
carelessness,  or  the  confusion  consequent  on  the  retreat,  had  ren- 
dered them  unavailing.  Now  at  the  last  moment,  every  nerve  was 
strained  to  block  the  river  and  to  mount  a  few  guns  on  Drewry's 
Bluff — a  promontory  eighty  feet  high,  overhanging  a  narrow  channel 
some  nine  miles  below  the  city. 

On  the  1 5th  of  May,  the  iron-clads  approached  the  still  unfinished 
obstructions.  There  was  just  time  to  sink  the  "Jamestown" — one 


196  Four  Years  in  Rebel  Capitals. 

of  the  wooden  shells  that  had  done  such  good  work  under  the  gallant 
Barney — in  the  gap;  to  send  her  crew  and  those  of  the  "Virginia" 
and  "Patrick  Henry"  to  man  the  three  guns  mounted  on  the  hill 
above — when  the  iron-clads  opened  fire. 

Their  cannonade  was  terrific.  It  cut  through  the  trees  and  landed 
the  missiles  a  mile  inland.  The  roar  of  the  heavy  guns,  pent  and 
echoed  between  the  high  banks,  was  like  continuous  thunder,  lit  by 
lurid  flashes  as  they  belched  out  1 3-inch  Shrapnel  and  scattered  ounce 
balls  like  hail  among  the  steadfast  gunners  on  the  bluff. 

But  the  terrible  plunging  fire  of  Captain  Farrand's  sea-dogs  dam- 
aged the  plating  of  the  armored  vessels  and  kept  the  wooden  ones  out 
of  range ;  while  the  galling  sharp-shooting  of  Taylor  Wood's  men,  on 
the  banks  below,  cleared  their  decks  and  silenced  their  guns.  Once 
more  the  wager  of  battle  was  decided  for  the  South ;  and  the  iron- 
clads retired  badly  damaged. 

This  result  was  most  cheering;  but,  unlike  the  early  success  of 
the  war,  it  was  received  with  a  solemn,  wordless  thankfulness.  Then, 
when  the  imminent  danger  was  passed,  the  Government  went  rapidly 
to  work  to  improve  the  obstruction  and  strengthen  the  battery  at 
Drewry's  Bluff.  This  became  a  permanent  fort,  admirably  planned 
and  armed  with  navy  guns,  worked  by  the  seamen  of  the  disused 
vessels.  The  Federals  stuck  to  the  name  they  first  gave  it — Fort 
Darling — for  no  reason,  perhaps,  but  because  of  the  tender  reminis- 
cences clinging  around  it. 

Then  came  another  season  of  stillness  on  the  Chickahominy  lines, 
which  General  McClellan  improved  to  protect  his  rear  communica- 
tions ;  and  to  throw  up  strong  embrasured  fortifications  along  his  whole 
front — indicating  his  intention  to  sit  down  before  the  city  in  regular 
siege ;  or  to  fight  behind  his  works. 

Meantime,  the  course  of  the  Government  would  have  inspired 
anything  but  confidence,  had  not  the  people  placed  the  deepest  and 
most  abiding  faith  in  the  mettle  and  truth  of  their  soldiers. 

Congress,  after  weak  and  more  than  useless  debates  on  the 
propriety  of  the  step,  precipitately  adjourned  and  ran  away  from  the 
threatened  danger.  These  wise  legislators  had  read  history.  They 
felt  that  the  cackling  which  saved  Rome  was  but  one  of  the  miracles  of 
that  philosophic  Muse  who  teaches  by  experience :  and  that — as  they 
could  not  save  their  city — they  had  better  save  themselves. 


Four  Years  in  Rebel  Capitals.  197 

The  Departments  were  packed  in  case  of  necessity  for  flight ;  and 
some  of  the  archives  were  even  put  on  board  canal  boats  and  towed 
beyond  the  city.  This  may  have  been  only  a  just  precaution;  but 
the  citizens  of  Richmond — looking  upon  its  defense  as  the  key  to  all 
further  resistance — saw  in  it  only  acceptance  of  the  worst  results; 
and,  when  the  families  of  the  principal  officials  and  officers  fled  from 
the  Capital  and  sought  safer  homes  in  North  Carolina  and  Georgia, 
her  people  would  not  accept  as  the  real  reason  the  averred  necessity 
for  saving  the  very  small  amount  of  provision  they  consumed. 

But  the  Legislature  of  Virginia  and  the  City  Council  of  Richmond 
met  and  resolved  that  they  were  willing  to  stand  any  loss  of  property 
and  life — even  the  destruction  of  the  city — before  giving  it  up  to  the 
enemy.  They  waited  upon  the  President  and  so  explained  to  him. 
Mr.  Davis  solemnly  announced  his  resolution  to  defend  the  position 
while  a  man  remained ;  and  to  cast  his  fate  with  that  of  a  people 
who  could  act  so  bravely. 

Still,  so  doubtful  was  the  issue  of  the  contest  held  by  the  lukewarm, 
or  cowardly,  few  that  they  hesitated  not  to  express  their  belief  that 
the  war  was  done ;  and  they  stored  in  secret  places  quantities  of  to- 
bacco to  be  used  as  currency  when  the  invaders  came  in ! 

When  the  dies  ira  really  came ;  and  burning  Richmond  sent  simi- 
larly hidden  store, 

"  With  the  smoke  of  its  ashes  to  poison  the  gale  " — 

little  was  the  sympathy  borne  on  the  breeze  for  them,  who — living 
early  enough — had  shamed  the  money-changers  scourged  from  the 
Temple ! 


198  Four  Years  in  Rebel  Capitals. 


CHAPTER  XXIII. 

AROUND  RICHMOND. 

In  the  dead  stillness  of  the  afternoon  of  May  3oth,  the  dull  thun- 
der of  artillery  and  the  crackling  roll  of  musketry  were  distinctly 
heard  in  every  house  in  Richmond. 

Deep  and  painful  suspense  filled  all  hearts ;  until  at  night  it  was 
known  that  the  enemy  had  been  driven  back  and  badly  punished. 

The  history  of  "Seven  Pines"  is  familiar  to  all.  Some  days  pre- 
vious, General  Keyes'  division  had  been  thrown  across  the  Chickahom- 
iny,  for  the  purpose  of  feeling  the  Confederate  lines  and  throwing 
up  works  that  would  secure  the  Federals  that  stream.  The  river, 
swelled  by  recent  rains,  rose  so  suddenly  as  to  endanger  Keyes'  com- 
munications with  his  rear ;  and  Johnston  determined  to  attack,  while 
he  could  thus  strike  in  detail.  The  miscarriage  of  part  of  his  plan — 
by  which  Huger's  troops  did  not  join  the  attack — and  his  own  wound, 
by  a  piece  of  shell,  late  in  the  afternoon,  alone  prevented  Johnston's 
utter  destruction  of  this  Federal  corps.  As  it  was,  the  enemy  was 
driven  two  miles  back  of  his  camp.  Heavily  re-enforced  next  day,  he 
resisted  and  drove  back  a  desperate  attack  about  Fair  Oaks. 

Now,  for  the  first  time,  the  people  of  Richmond  began  to  see  the 
realities  of  war.  When  the  firing  began,  many  ladies  were  at  work 
for  the  soldiers  in  the  churches.  These  flocked  to  the  doors,  pale 
and  anxious,  but  with  a  steady  determination  in  their  faces,  vainly 
looked  for  in  many  of  the  men.  Gradually  wagons  and  ambulances 
began  to  come  in;  slowly  at  first,  toward  nightfall  more  rapidly — 
each  one  bearing  some  faint  and  suffering  form.  Then,  and  not  till 
then,  those  women  left  their  other  work  and  tended  the  wounded 
men;  giving  "the  little  cup  of  water"  so  precious  to  them,  speaking 
brave  words  of  cheer  while  their  very  souls  grew  sick  at  the  unwonted 
sight  of  blood  and  suffering. 

One  poor  old  man,  dirty  and  ragged,  lay  in  a  rough,  springless 
cart;  his  hard,  shoeless  feet  dropping  out  at  its  back,  and  his  long, 


Four   Years  in  Rebel  Capitals.  199 

gray  beard  drenched  in  the  blood  that  welled  from  his  chest  at  every 
jolt.  By  his  side,  in  the  gathering  twilight,  walked  one  of  Rich- 
mond's fairest  daughters;  her  gentle  voice  smoothing  the  rough  way 
to  the  hospital,  and  her  soft  hand  wiping  the  damps  from  his  forehead. 

And  there  was  no  romance  in  it.  He  could  not  be  conjured  into 
a  fair  young  knight — old,  dirty,  vulgar  as  he  was.  But  he  had  fought 
for  her — for  the  fair  city  she  loved  better  than  life — and  the  gayest 
rider  in  all  that  band  were  not  more  a  hero  to  her ! 

Next  morning  the  usual  stillness  of  Sunday  was  broken  by  the  re- 
newed rattle  of  musketry — though  farther  off  and  less  continuous 
than  the  day  before;  and  by  the  more  constant  and  nearer  rumble  of 
ambulance  and  dead  cart.  At  dawn  many  of  the  townspeople  had 
gone  in  buggies,  wagons,  and  even  the  huge  vans  of  the  express  com- 
panies, taking  with  them  food  and  stimulants,  to  aid  the  very  limited 
ambulance  corps  of  the  army. 

All  day  long  the  sad  procession  came  in.  Here  a  van  with  four 
or  five  desperately  wounded  stretched  on  its  floor ;  now  a  buggy  with 
a  faint  and  bandaged  form  resting  on  the  driver;  again  the  jolting 
coal  cart  with  the  still,  stiff  figure,  covered  by  the  blanket  and  not 
needing  the  rigid  upturned  feet  to  tell  the  story.  The  hospitals  were 
soon  overcrowded ;  huge  tobacco  warehouses  had  been  hastily  fitted 
up  and  as  hastily  filled;  while  dozens  of  surgeons,  bare-armed  and 
bloody,  flitted  through  them,  doing  what  man  might  to  relieve  the 
fearful  havoc  man  had  made. 

Women  of  all  ranks  and  of  all  ages  crowded  to  them,  too ;  some 
wan  and  haggard,  seeking  with  tearless  suspense  the  dear  one  they 
knew  to  have  been  stricken  down;  some  bearing  baskets  of  stimu- 
lants and  nourishing  food ;  but  one  and  all  eager  and  willing 

"  To  do  for  those  dear  ones  what  woman 
Alone  in  her  pity  can  do." 

The  struggle  had  been  brief  but  bitter.  Most  of  the  wounds  were^ 
above  the  waist,  for  the  fighting  had  been  among  undergrowth  and 
partly  against  abatis;  but  the  short-range  volleys  had  mowed  the  men 
down  by  ranks.  More  warerooms  and  even  stores  on  Main  street 
were  opened,  fitted  with  bunks,  and  filled  with  the  maimed  and  suf- 
fering. 

At  all  hours,  day  and  night,  the  passer  down  Main  street  would 
see  through  the  open  doors  long,  even  rows  of  white  bunks,  each  one 


zoo  Four  Years  in  Rebel  Capitals. 

bearing  some  form  distorted  with  agony,  or  calmly  passing  away; 
while  the  tireless  surgeon  moved  from  cot  to  cot.  And  at  the  head 
of  each  a  still,  patient  form,  almost  motionless,  waved  the  ceaseless 
fan  or  breathed  the  low  promise  of  the  Living  Word,  to  one  who 
trembled  on  the  verge  of  the  Valley  of  the  Shadow  of  Death. 

The  war  was  at  the  very  gates  now.  These  palpable  witnesses  were 
too  numerous  to  doubt.  But  the  lips  of  every  gaping  wound  spoke 
an  eloquent  pledge  that,  while  such  as  these  kept  watch  and  ward,  the 
city  was  safe. 

Little  by  little  the  hospitals  thinned ;  the  slightly  wounded  went 
back  to  duty  and  the  badly  hurt  began  to  hobble  about.  But  on  every 
hand  were  the  gaunt,  sad  forms  stretched  on  the  narrow  cots  over 
which  Life  and  Death  wrestled  for  the  mastery.  And  still  the  tireless 
love  of  woman  watched  by  them — and  still  un worded  prayers  went 
up  that  the  Destroyer  might  not  prevail. 

The  stillness  that  followed  ' '  Seven  Pines "  was  not  unbroken. 
The  armies  were  so  near  together  that  the  least  movement  of  either 
brought  on  a  collision,  and  constant  skirmishing  went  on.  Not  a  day 
but  had  its  miniature  battle ;  and  scarce  an  hour  but  added  to  the 
occupants  of  the  hospitals.  As  these  conflicts  most  frequently  re- 
sulted in  a  Confederate  success,  they  only  served  to  encourage  the 
people,  and  to  bring  them  to  the  high  pitch  necessary  for  the  pro- 
longed note  of  war  that  was  soon  to  sound  so  near  them. 

Just  a  month  after  the  repulse  of  the  iron-clads  from  Drewry's 
Bluff,  the  bold  and  daring  "Pamunkey  Raid"  still  further  aided  in 
this  effect.  General  J.  E.  B.  Stuart  had  by  his  successful  conduct  of 
the  cavalry,  no  less  than  by  his  personal  gallantry,  worked  his  way 
from  the  colonelcy  he  held  at  Manassas  to  a  major-generalcy  of  all 
that  arm  of  the  Virginia  army.  He  had  gained  the  confidence  of 
General  Lee  and  the  greatest  popularity  in  and  out  of  the  army;  and, 
ably  seconded  by  his  brigadiers,  ' '  Jeb  Stuart "  was  expected  to  do 
great  deeds  in  the  coming  campaign. 

Information  being  desired  of  the  enemy  on  certain  points,  he  vol- 
unteered to  obtain  it.  With  the  advice  and  direction  of  the  com- 
manding-general, Stuart  started  from  Richmond ;  made  his  reconnais- 
sance; penetrated  to  the  White  House  on  the  Pamunkey  and  burned 
the  depot  there ;  whipped  the  enemy's  cavalry  wherever  he  met  them ; 
and,  making  a  complete  circuit  of  the  Federal  rear,  with  all  his  capt- 
ured men  and  horses,  rode  back  into  the  city  in  triumph. 


Four  Years  in  Rebel  Capitals.  201 

Whatever  may  be  said  of  raids  in  the  abstract,  this  was  certainly 
a  most  dashing  one  ;  and  was  received  with  loud  acclamation  by 
army  and  people.  The  latter  were  by  this  time  in  better  spirit  to  re- 
ceive encouragement ;  and,  dazzled  by  its  brilliance,  rather  than 
weighing  its  solid  advantages,  placed  this  achievement  perhaps  above 
the  more  useful  success  at  Williamsburg. 

Then  came  the  news  from  the  Valley. 

That  wonderful  campaign — which  far  exceeds  in  strategic  power, 
brilliant  dash  and  great  results  any  other  combination  of  the  war — 
had  been  fought  and  won !  It  has  been  justly  compared,  by  a  compe- 
tent and  eloquent  critic,  to  Napoleon's  campaign  in  Italy ;  and — pal- 
ing all  his  other  deeds — it  clearly  spoke  Stonewall  Jackson  the  Napo- 
leon of  the  South. 

Coolly  looking  back  at  its  details,  the  thinker  .even  now  is  struck 
with  respectful  wonder. 

Hurling  his  little  force  against  Front  Royal;  flashing  to  Winchester 
and  routing  Banks ;  slipping  between  the  close  converging  lines  of 
Fremont  and  Shields — just  in  time  to  avoid  being  crushed  between 
them — and  bearing  with  him  miles  of  wagon  train  and  spoils ;  turning 
on  the  pursuing  columns  of  Fremont,  driving  him  back,  and  then 
sweeping  Shields  from  his  path  like  chaff — Jackson  clears  his  way  and 
marches  on  for  Richmond ! 

Still  onward,  scarcely  halting  for  food  or  rest — ever  on  to  strike 
new  terror  when  thought  far  away ;  weary,  footsore — with  scarcely 
one-half  its  former  number,  but  flushed  with  victory  and  panting  for 
further  fame — the  little  band  toils  on,  passes  around  Richmond  and, 
just  as  the  opposing  cannon  begin  their  last  grim  argument  for  her 
possession,  hurl  themselves  like  an  Alpine  torrent  on  the  flank'of  the 
enemy ! 

The  loss  in  this  wonderful  campaign  was  comparatively  small, 
when  we  consider  the  rapidity  of  the  movements;  the  terrible  marches 
and  the  stubborn  fighting  against  overwhelming  numbers. 

But  there  was  one  place  vacant  that  none  could  fill.  There  was 
one  name  that  brought  the  cloud  to  the  brow  of  the  giddiest  youth, 
or  the  tear  to  the  eye  of  the  toughest  veteran  in  those  sturdy  ranks ; 
one  name  that  stilled  the  song  on  the  march  and  hushed  the  rough 
gossip  of  the  bivouac  to  a  saddened  whisper.  Turner  Ashby  was 
dead! 


202  Four  Years  in  Rebel  Capitals. 

True  knight — doughty  leader — high-hearted  gentleman — he  had 
fallen  when  the  fighting  was  well-nigh  over — his  devoir  nobly  done 
and  his  name  as  stainless  as  the  bright  blade  he  ever  flashed  foremost 
in  the  fight ! 

,  Chivalric — lion-hearted — strong  armed — 

"  Well  they  learned,  whose  hands  have  slain  him, 

Braver,  knightlier  foe 
Never  fought  'gainst  Moor  or  Paynim — 
Rode  at  Templestowe !  " 

All  the  country  missed  Ashby.  But  Virginia  mourned  him  most; 
and  among  her  stricken  sons,  those  hard-handed,  ragged  heroes  of 
Jackson's  Old  Guard — who  had  marched  the  furthest  and  fought  the 
hardest  following  him — were  the  chiefest  mourners.  Jackson  had 
reared  a  noble  monument,  to  be  viewed  from  all  the  dimmest  vistas  of 
the  future.  But  the  fair  column  was  shattered  near  its  top  ;  and  the 
laurel  leaves  that  twined  it  were  mingled  with  evergreen  cypress. 

Then  the  strained  suspense  was  broken.  On  the  z6th  of  June 
began  that  memorable  series  of  fights  that  northern  and  southern 
history — voluminous  reports  of  generals  and  detailed  accounts  of 
newspapers,  have  made  familiar  to  all  who  care  to  read  of  battles. 

A.  P.  Hill's  steady  attack  at  Mechanicsville,  though  at  great  cost, 
drove  the  enemy's  right  wing  back;  to  be  struck  next  morning  on  the 
flank  by  Jackson  and  sent,  after  a  sullen  and  bloody  resistance,  to 
the  works  near  Games'  Mill.  Still  on  the  barefooted  boys  press  with 
resistless  rush,  leaving  dead  or  mangled  brothers  and  writhing  foemen 
in  their  gory  track !  Never  pausing  to  look  back,  but  each  successive 
day  driving  the  enemy  at  the  bayonet's  point  from  works  frowning 
with  cannon. 

Cold  Harbor  has  told  its  brilliant  story.  Frasier's  Farm  is  fought 
and  won ! 

With  ranks  fearfully  thinned,  scant  of  food  and  pausing  not  to 
rest,  the  struggling  men  press  on — ever  on  !  Weary  and  faltering  on 
the  march,  the  first  sharp  crack  of  the  rifle  lights  a  new  fire  in  every 
eye ;  and  drinking  the  hot  breath  of  the  battle, 

"  Stalwart,  they  court  like  Anak's  sons 
The  rapture  of  the  fight !" 

The  tide  of  the  battle  swung  round  and  the  retreating  army  of 
McClellan — fighting  steadily  by  day  and  retreating  noiselessly  in  the 
night — fronted  from  the  city  which  now  lay  on  its  left  flank. 


Four   Years  in  Rebel  Capitals.  203 

The  Federals  were  neither  demoralized,  nor  panic  struck,  as  has 
been  sometimes  believed ;  and  such  an  error,  while  it  has  bloody 
refutation  in  the  nameless  graves  that  make  the  track  of  these  fights 
precious  to  the  southron — does  less  than  justice  to  the  constancy  and 
enduring  valor  of  the  little  army  that  wrung  the  victory  from  them 
at  such  fearful  cost. 

Their  retreat  was  orderly  and  steady.  Driven  each  day  from 
works  on  which  they  relied — marking  their  path  with  untold  destruc- 
tion of  munitions,  supplies  and  even  of  food  on  which  they  depended 
— the  soldiers  of  the  North  were  well  held  together ;  never  refusing 
to  turn  and  face  the  resistless  foe  that  hurled  itself  against  them,  care- 
less alike  of  cannon  and  steel,  weariness  and  death ! 

There  can  be  little  doubt  now  of  the  consummate  tact  of  McClellan's 
retreat.  It  is  the  bright  page  in  the  northern  annals  of  strategy. 
Beaten  each  day  and  driven  from  his  well-chosen  strongholds — clear- 
ly chosen  with  a  view  to  such  necessities — he  still  held  his  army 
thoroughly  in  his  grasp  and  carried  it  off  in  such  order  as  no  Federal 
force  had  yet  preserved  in  the  face  of  retreat.  Only  the  resistless 
impetuosity  of  the  southern  troops  drove  all  before  them;  and  though 
careful  analysis  may  prove  in  theory  that,  but  for  the  blunder  of  a 
subordinate,  Lee  could  one  day  have  utterly  destroyed  him,  this  fact 
should  not  detract,  in  the  impartial  mind,  from  the  great  ability  of 
McClellan  which  really  prevented  it. 

Still,  up  to  the  last  bloody  day  at  Malvern  Hill,  the  city  lay  open 
to  the  Federal  general  had  he  known  the  truth.  Between  him  and 
the  coveted  prize  was  a  mere  handful  of  men,  who  could  have  offered 
but  slight  resistance  to  his  overwhelming  numbers ;  the  main  army  of 
defense  was  in  his  front,  further  away  than  many  points  of  his  re- 
treat ;  and,  had  he  fully  understood  the  position,  a  bold  and  dashing 
stroke  of  generalship  might  have  turned  the  scale,  spite  of  all  the  red 
successes  of  southern  arms.  More  than  once  in  the  "  Seven  Days" 
a  rapid  march  by  the  flank  would  have  put  McClellan  in  possession  of 
the  Capital  and  secured  him  in  its  strong  defenses ;  from  which  the 
wearied  troops  of  Lee  could  scarcely  have  ejected  him. 

But  it  was  not  to  be.  When  the  shattered  and  torn  Confederates 
drew  off,  like  lions  at  bay,  from  the  horrid  slopes  of  Malvern  Hill — 
leaving  them  drenched  with  priceless  blood  and  piled  thick  with  near 
one-third  their  number — McClellan  declined  further  battle  and  with- 
drew his  beaten  army  to  the  fleet. 


204  Four  Years  in  Rebel  Capitals. 

He  had  made  a  great  retreat.     But  he  had  lost  his  great  stake. 

When  the  armies  lay  at  Mechanicsville,  both  were  plainly  visible 
from  many  points  in  the  city.  From  the  Capitol,  miles  of  encamp- 
ment could  be  seen,  spreading  out  like  a  map ;  and  in  the  dusk  the 
red  flash  of  each  gun  and  the  fiery  trail  of  its  fatal  messenger  were 
painfully  distinct.  The  evening  before  Hill's  advance,  the  poet-libra- 
rian of  the  Capitol  was  pointing  out  the  localities  to  a  company  of 
officers  and  ladies.  Among  them  was  a  lady  who  had  suffered  much 
in  the  flesh  and  been  driven  from  her  home  for  brave  exertions  in 
that  cause,  which  was  in  the  end  to  leave  her  widowed  spirit  with 
no  hope  on  this  side  of  the  narrow  house.  A  terrific  thunder- 
storm had  just  passed  over  the  hostile  hosts;  but  the  dense  masses  of 
cloud  had  rolled  away  to  the  river,  leaving  it  in  deep  shadow,  while 
a  bright  reflection  from  the  sunset  wrapped  both  camps  in  a  veil  of 
mellow  light.  Not  a  shot  disturbed  the  still  peacefulness  of  the  scene, 
to  give  token  of  the  wild  work  already  shaped  out  for  the  next 
week.  Suddenly  a  glorious  rainbow  shaped  itself  in  the  transparent 
mist  over  the  Confederate  camp,  spanning  it  from  end  to  end. 
The  lady  pointed  it  to  the  poet. 

"  I  hail  the  omen  !  "  she  said.  "  It  is  a  token  of  God's  promise 
that  yonder  flood  will  not  overwhelm  us !  That  His  hand  will  be 
raised  as  of  old,  to  hurl  it  back  from  His  chosen  people  !  " 

And  when  the  omen  was  accomplished  and  Richmond  was  safe, 
the  poet  sent  the  lady  those  classic  lines  so  well-known  in  the  South 
—"The  Battle  Rainbow." 

Next  afternoon  the  great  fight  began.  The  sharp,  quick  rattle  of 
small  arms,  and  the  dull  incessant  boom  of  artillery  told  of  hot  work 
even  nearer  than  "  Seven  Pines."  So  sharp  and  clear  were  the  reports 
that  it  seemed  the  fight  must  be  on  the  very  edge  of  town ;  and  the 
windows  rattled  at  every  discharge. 

Almost  every  man,  worthy  of  the  name,  was  at  the  front;  but  the 
brave  and  steadfast  women  of  Richmond  collected  in  groups  and — 
while  they  listened  with  blanched  faces  and  throbbing  hearts — still 
tried  to  cheer  and  comfort  each  other. 

They  spoke  of  the  past ;  of  their  faith  in  the  flower  of  the  South 
at  that  moment  battling  for  them  ;  and  they  heard  the  sound  of  the 
cannon  growing  farther  and  fainter,  only  to  feel  more  loving  trust  in 
those  who,  under  God,  had  saved  them  from  that  chiefest  of  ills ! 


four  Years  in  Rebel  Capitals.  205 

Day  by  day,  as  the  tide  of  battle  surged  farther  off,  it  sent  into 
Richmond  cheering  news  that  nerved  afresh  these  brave  hearts  for 
the  horror  to  come.  Games'  Mill,  Cold  Harbor  and  Frasier's  Farm 
rolled  back  their  echoes  of  triumph ;  news  came  of  the  strait  into 
which  McClellan  was  driven  and  that  one  day  more  must  see  him  a 
prisoner  in  the  city  he  had  dared — his  splendid  host  swept  away  and  de- 
stroyed. Finally  the  news  of  Malvern  Hill — the  wild  shout  of  battle 
scarce  drowning  the  death-cry — sent  a  thrill  of  mingled  agony  and 
pride  to  their  very  heart's  core. 

But  day  by  day,  as  the  red  tide  rolled  back,  it  swept  into  Rich- 
mond terrible  fragments  of  the  wreck  it  had  made.  Every  convey- 
ance that  could  follow  the  army,  or  could  be  pressed  from  the  almost 
stripped  country  around  it,  bore  in  from  the  River  Road  its  load  of 
misery.  Manassas  had  hinted  the  slaughter  of  a  great  fight ;  Seven 
Pines  had  sketched  all  the  hard  outlines  of  the  picture  ;  but  the  Seven 
Days  put  in  the  dismal  shadows,  with  every  variation  of  grotesque 
horror. 

In  the  dearth  of  transportation  and  the  hurry  of  onward  move- 
ment, many  had  been  left  for  days  with  stiffening  wounds  on  the  field, 
or  roadside.  Others  had  undergone  the  loss  of  limbs  at  field  hospi- 
tals ;  some  were  bent  and  distorted  in  their  agony ;  and  again  the  stiff, 
set  jaw  and  wide,  glassy  eye,  told  that  the  journey  was  over  before 
the  end  was  reached. 

The  chain  of  regular  hospitals  and  even  the  temporary  one — nearly 
emptied  since  Seven  Pines — now  rapidly  filled  and  overflowed. 
Private  houses  swung  wide  their  doors  and  took  in  wounded  men — 
brothers  alike  if  gentle-blooded  Louisianian,  or  hard-handed  mount- 
ainmen — and  the  women,  one  and  all,  wrought  as  if  their  energies 
had  never  before  been  taxed  or  even  tested. 

But  a  black  shadow  had  come  and  broc^.d  deep  over  Richmond. 
Half  the  gentle  forms  gliding  noiselessly  among  the  suffering  were 
draped  in  black ;  and  many  a  pale  face  was  saddened  with  an  anguish 
deeper  than  furrowed  those  resting  on  the  coarse  pillows  around. 

The  fight  was  won.  The  enemy  that  had  for  months  flaunted  his 
victorious  flag  in  full  sight  of  the  Capitol  was  baffled  and  beaten. 
New  glories  had  clustered  round  the  flag  of  the  South;  new  quarrels 
and  doubts  had  been  sent  to  the  North.  Lee,  Jackson,  Longstreet, 
the  Hills  and  Hood  had  added  fresh  laurels  to  brows  believed  to  have 


2o6  Four  Years  in  Rebel  Capitals. 

room  for  no  leaf  more.  Almost  every  officer  had  proved  himself 
worthy  of  the  prayers  of  such  women  as  the  South  owned — of  that 
even  higher  glory  of  leading  such  troops  as  fought  to  defend  them. 

But  at  what  awful  cost  had  all  this  been  bought !  The  slaughter 
of  their  nearest  and  dearest  had  been  terrific:  women,  the  highest 
and  lowliest,  met  by  the  cot  of  the  sufferer ;  and,  in  the  free  masonry 
of  love,  tended  the  living  and  comforted  each  other  for  their  dead. 

But  through  the  brave  endeavor  of  their  sacred  office,  these  noble 
sisters  of  mercy  showed  no  yielding  to  the  claims  of  self.  Over 
their  own  sorrows  they  rose  triumphant — tended  the  faint — cheered 
the  despondent — filling  the  place  of  wife  and  mother  to  those  who 
should  nevermore  see  home — even  while 

"  The  air  is  filled  with  farewells  to  the  dying 

And  wailings  for  the  dead  ; 
The  voice  of  Rachel  for  her  children  crying 
Can  not  be  comforted." 


Four  Years  in  Rebel  Capitals,  207 


CHAPTER  XXIV. 

ECHO  OF  SEVEN  DAYS,   NORTH  AND  SOUTH. 

The  result  of  the  "Seven  Days"  was  to  produce  a  profound  joy- 
ousness  in  the  South,  which  lightened  even  those  deep  shadows  from 
the  sorrows  that  had  fallen  upon  individuals ;  to  raise  the  spirits  of  the 
whole  people  and  to  send  into  every  heart  that  loved  the  cause  a  glow 
of  confident  pride  in  the  southern  soldier — chastened  somewhat  by 
present  sorrow  and  tempered,  perhaps,  by  the  lessons  of  the  past — that 
nothing  in  their  after  misfortunes  could  quench. 

But  while  it  taught  the  people  this,  the  victory  taught  the  Govern- 
ment that  no  energy  could  be  too  great — no  watchfulness  misplaced, 
in  preparing  for  the  heavy  blows  of  the  northern  government  at  all 
times,  and  at  any  point,  to  carry  out  its  pet  scheme  of  reducing  the 
southern  Capital. 

The  blatant  triumph  that  had  followed  other  victories  and  the 
secure  apathy  of  the  southern  government,  had  alike  been  swept  away 
by  that  terrific  surge  of  battle,  rolled  back  harmlessly,  only  when  on 
the  point  of  overwhelming  us;  and  in  their  stead  came  the  deep- 
seated  resolve  to  act  in  the  present,  even  while  they  dreamed  in  the 
future. 

In  the  North,  a  hoarse  roar  of  rage  went  up.  The  good  behavior 
of  their  troops  and  the  great  ability  of  their  general — unquestioned 
even  by  the  men  who  had  steadily  fought  and  doggedly  driven  him 
before  them — were  both  lost  sight  of  in  the  wild  wail  that  went  up 
over — the  cost! 

Millions  upon  millions  had  been  spent  in  equipping  the  grand 
army — all  wasted  now  in  that  futile  effort  to  conquer  the  Rebel  Capital 
— offered  as  a  burnt  offering  to  the  avenging  War  God;  and  only  the 
blood  of  its  thousands  to  manure  the  fields  in  front  of  the  coveted 
city! 

There  was  a  howl  of  malediction  against  the  only  general  so  far 
tried — who  had  proved  himself  a  tactician  in  anything  but  name;  and 


2o8  Four  Years  in  Rebel  Capitals. 

as  part  of  its  policy  the  northern  government  shamelessly  sacrificed 
McClellan,  while  it  could  not  but  unhesitatingly  acknowledge  his 
merit. 

Unlike  the  South,  the  North  throughout  the  whole  war  bent  its 
every  energy  toward  concentrating  the  most  useful  elements  among 
its  many  parties.  Seeming  to  bend  to  the  will  of  each;  propitiating  all 
popular  elements  and  utilizing  all  able  ones ;  listening  patiently  to  the 
mouthing  of  demagogues  and  the  vituperation  of  the  press  j  dis- 
tributing its  contracts  so  as  to  make  every  dollar  of  patronage  tell; 
and  handling  the  great  engine,  Wall  street,  in  masterly  style — the 
Washington  government  simply  collected  and  sifted  the  varied  mass 
of  opinion  and  material — to  form  from  it  a  composite  amalgam-policy 
that  proved  its  only  salvation.  Through  every  change  in  that 
policy — through  every  gradation  of  animus  that  affected  the  complex- 
ion of  the  war — the  masses  of  the  North  really  believed  they  were 
fighting  for  the  Constitution — for  the  flag,  and  for  the  Union ! 

Whether  they  were  so  tightly  blindfolded  as  not  yet  to  see  their 
error,  is  no  question  to  be  discussed  here. 

No  sooner  had  the  howl  gone  up  through  the  North,  against  the 
General  who — spite  of  refused  re-enforcements,  jealousy  and  intrigue 
behind  his  back,  and  the  terrible  enemy  before  him — had  saved  his 
army,  than  the  Government  responded  to  it.  Large  numbers  of  men 
were  sent  from  Harrison's  Landing  to  Acquia  Creek ;  the  Federal 
forces  at  Warrentown,  Alexandria  and  Fredericksburg  were  mobilized 
and  strengthened;  and  the  baton  of  command  was  wrenched  from 
the  hand  of  McClellan  to  be  placed  in  that  of  Major-General  John 
Pope ! 

The  history  of  this  new  popular  hero,  to  this  time,  may  be  summed 
up  by  saying  that  he  had  been  captain  of  Topographical  Engineers ; 
and  that  the  books  of  that  bureau  showed  he  had  prosecuted  his 
labors  with  perhaps  less  economy  than  efficiency. 

Rapidly  promoted  for  unknown  reasons  in  the  western  armies,  the 
public  hit  upon  him  as  the  right  man  at  last ;  and  the  complaisant 
Government  said  :  ' '  Lo !  the  man  is  here !  "  and  made  him  general- 
in-chief  of  the  Army  of  Virginia. 

From  the  command  of  Pope  dates  a  new  era  in  the  war.  No 
longer  a  temperate  struggle  for  authority,  it  became  one  for  conquest 
and  annihilation.  He  boldly  threw  off  the  mask  that  had  hitherto 


Four  Years  in  Rebel  Capitals.  209 

concealed  its  uglier  features,  and  commenced  a  systematic  course  of 
pillage  and  petty  plundering — backed  by  a  series  of  curiously  bom- 
bastic and  windy  orders. 

Calmly  to  read  these  wonderful  effusions — dated  from  ' '  Headquar- 
ters in  the  saddle  " — by  the  light  of  his  real  deeds,  one  could  only 
conceive  that  General  Pope  coveted  that  niche  in  history  rilled 
by  Thackeray's  C?  Grady  Gahagan ;  and  that  much  of  his  reading 
had  been  confined  to  the  pleasant  rambles  of  Gulliver  and  the 
doughty  deeds  of  Trenck  and  Munchausen. 

To  sober  second  thought,  the  sole  reason  for  his  advancement 
might  seem  his  wonderful  power  as  a  braggart.  He  blustered  and 
bragged  until  the  North  was  bullied  into  admiration  ;  and  his  sound- 
ing boasts  that  he  had  "only  seen  the  backs  of  his  enemies,"  and 
that  he  had  "gone  to  look  for  the  rebel,  Jackson" — were  really 
taken  to  mean  what  they  said.  When  Pope  did  at  last  "find  the 
rebel,  Jackson/'  the  hopeful  public  over  the  Potomac  began  to  be- 
lieve that  their  truculent  pet  might  have  simply  paraphrased  Falstaff, 
and  cried — 

"  Lying  and  thieving  have  blown  me  up  like  a  bladder  !  " 
For  Jackson  gave  the  bladder  a  single  prick,  and  lo !  it  collapsed. 

Resting  his  wearied  and  shattered  troops  only  long  enough  to  get 
them  again  into  fighting  trim,  General  Lee  prepared  to  check  the 
third  great  advance  upon  Manassas.  Working  on  the  inner  line  and 
being  thus  better  able  to  concentrate  his  strength,  he  left  only 
enough  troops  around  Richmond  to  delay  any  advance  of  McClellan 
from  the  Peninsula;  and,  before  the  end  of  July,  sent  Stonewall 
Jackson — with  Ewell's,  A.  P.  Hill's,  and  his  own  old  division  under 
General  Charles  S.  Winder,  in  all  about  10,000  men — to  frustrate 
the  flatulent  designs  of  the  gong-sounding  commander,  whose  Chinese 
warfare  was  echoing  so  loudly  from  the  frontier. 

Cautious,  rapid  and  tireless  as  ever,  Jackson  advanced  into  Cul- 
peper  county ;  and  on  the  pth  of  August  gave  the  gong-sounder  his 
first  lesson  on  the  field  of  Cedar  Mountain.  Throwing  a  portion  of 
his  force  under  Early  on  the  enemy's  flank  and  bringing  Ewell  and, 
later,  Winder  against  his  front,  Jackson  forced  him  from  his  position 
after  a  bloody  fight,  which  the  advance  of  A.  P.  Hill  turned  into  a 
complete  victory. 

Cedar  Mountain  was  a  sharp  and  well-contested  fight ;    but  the 
14 


210  Four  Years  in  Rebel  Capitals. 

Confederates  inflicted  a  loss  five  times  their  own,  held  the  field,  and 
captured  a  number  of  prisoners  and  guns.  General  Winder  led  his 
troops  gallantly  to  the  charge,  but  just  at  the  moment  of  collision  he 
was  struck  and  mortally  wounded  by  a  shell.  And  the  unstained 
spirit  of  the  gallant  son  of  Maryland  winged  its  flight,  ere  the  shouts 
of  victory  could  cheer  it  on  its  way ! 

The  Washington  government  at  once  ordered  the  remains  of  Mc- 
Clellan's  army  to  General  Pope;  and  massing  with  them  Burnside's 
army  at  Fredericksburg  and  the  vicinity,  strained  every  nerve  to  aid 
his  successful  advance. 

But  here  we  may  digress  for  the  moment,  to  take  a  bird's-eye  view 
of  matters  of  grave  moment  passing  in  distant  quarters  of  the  Con- 
federacy. 

While  victory  had  perched  upon  Confederate  banners  in  Virginia, 
a  heavy  cloud  was  gathering  over  the  West;  threatening  to  burst  and 
sweep  ruin  and  destruction  over  the  whole  trans-Alleghany  region. 
Not  dispirited  by  the  reverses  in  Virginia,  the  northern  government 
remitted  nothing  of  its  designs  upon  the  West,  but  rather  pushed 
them  toward  more  rapid  completion.  These  designs  were  to  hold 
the  State  of  Kentucky  by  the  army  under  Buell,  wrest  from  the  South 
the  possession  of  Tennessee  and  Alabama — as  a  base  for  attack  upon 
Georgia  and  cutting  through  to  the  seaboard;  and  to  push  the  army 
under  Grant  down  through  Mississippi  to  the  Gulf.  These  movements 
would  not  only  weaken  the  Confederacy,  by  diverting  so  many  men, 
111  to  be  spared,  to  watch  the  various  columns ;  but  would,  moreover, 
wrest  from  it  the  great  grain-producing  and  cattle-grazing  sections 
from  which  the  armies  were  mainly  fed.  Simultaneously  with 
these  a  heavy  force  was  to  be  massed  under  McClernand  in  Ohio,  to 
sweep  down  the  Mississippi;  while  the  weak  show  of  Confederate 
force  in  the  states  west  of  the  river  was  to  be  crushed  before  it  could 
make  head. 

Such  was  the  Federal  programme ;  well  conceived  and  backed  by 
every  appliance  of  means,  men  and  material.  To  meet  it  we  had 
but  a  small  numerical  force  to  defend  an  extensive  and  varied  tract; 
and  at  the  Capital  grave  fears  began  to  prevail  that  the  overpowering 
numbers  and  points  of  attack  would  crush  the  little  armies  we  could 
muster  there. 

Nor  was  the  feeling  of  the  people  rendered  more  easy  by  their 


Four   Years  in  Rebel  Capitals,  211 

confidence  in  the  general  to  whom  the  defense  of  this  invaluable  sec- 
tion was  entrusted.  General  Braxton  Bragg — however  causeless  and 
unjust  their  dictum  may  have  been — had  never  been  popular  with  the 
southern  masses.  They  regarded  him  as  a  bloodthirsty  martinet,  and 
listened  too  credulously  to  all  silly  stories  of  his  weakness  and  severity 
that  were  current,  in  the  army  and  out.  Influenced  rather  by  preju- 
dice than  by  any  real  knowledge  of  the  man,  they  believed  him  vain, 
arrogant  and  weak;  denying  him  credit  for  whatever  real  administra- 
tive ability  that  he  possessed.  The  painful  result  of  his  command 
was  later  emphasized  by  the  pessimists,  to  justify  their  incredulity  as 
to  his  executive  powers. 

Besides,  many  people  believed  that  General  Bragg  was  a  pet — if 
not  a  creature  of  Mr.  Davis ;  and  that  he  was  thrust  into  a  position 
that  others  deserved  far  more,  when  he  succeeded  Beauregard  in  com- 
mand of  the  army  of  the  West. 

The  latter  officer  had,  after  the  evacuation  of  Corinth,  been  com- 
pelled to  retire  by  ill  health ;  and  Bragg  was  soon  sent  to  take  his 
place,  with  the  understanding  in  the  minds  of  the  people  that  Ken- 
tucky was  to  be  the  theater  of  active  operations,  and  that  a  pro- 
gramme of  aggression — rather  than  of  defense — was  to  be  carried 
out,  as  suggested  by  Beauregard. 

General  Bragg  entered  upon  his  command  with  a  show  of  great 
vigor — falling  into  General  Beauregard's  views  that  a  diversion  to- 
ward Ohio,  threatening  Cincinnati,  would  leave  the  main  army  free 
to  march  upon  Louisville  before  re-enforcements  could  reach  Buell. 
With  this  view  General  Kirby  Smith,  with  all  the  troops  that  could  be 
spared — ill  clad,  badly  equipped,  and  with  no  commissariat — was 
pushed  forward  toward  the  Ohio.  On  the  2pth  of  August — while 
our  victorious  cannon  were  still  echoing  over  the  field  of  the  second 
Manassas — he  met  and  defeated  the  enemy  at  Richmond;  pressed  on 
to  Lexington,  and  thence  to  a  point  in  easy  reach  of  Cincinnati — at 
that  moment  not  only  the  great  granary  and  storehouse  of  the  Federal 
armies  of  the  West,  but  their  depot  and  arsenal  as  well ;  her  wharves 
crowded  with  transports,  quartermasters'  steamers  and  unfinished 
gunboats,  and  her  warehouses  bursting  with  commissary  and  ord- 
nance stores. 

When  the  news  of  Smith's  triumphant  march  to  the  very  gates  of 
Cincinnati  reached  Richmond,  it  was  universally  believed  that  the 


212  Four  Years  in  Rebel  Capitals. 

city  would  be  captured,  or  laid  in  ashes ;  and  thinking  men  saw  great 
results  in  the  delay  such  destruction  would  cause  to  the  advance  of 
the  enemy  into  the  heart  of  their  territory. 

Meantime,  General  Bragg  had  entered  Kentucky  from  Chatta- 
nooga, with  an  army  re-enforced  and  better  equipped  than  had  been 
seen  in  that  section  since  the  war  began.  Once  more  cheering  re- 
ports came  to  Richmond  that  the  Confederates  were  in  full  march 
for  the  enemy ;  that  any  moment  might  bring  news  of  the  crushing  of 
Buell  before  re-enforcements,  or  fresh  supplies,  could  reach  him. 
Great  was  the  disappointment,  therefore,  when  news  really  came  of  the 
withdrawal  of  southern  troops  from  before  Cincinnati;  and  that  all 
action  of  Bragg's  forces  would  be  postponed  until  Smith's  junction 
with  him. 

Intense  anxiety  reigned  at  the  Capital,  enlivened  only  by  the  fitful 
report  of  the  fight  at  Munfordville — inflicting  heavy  loss  upon  both 
sides,  but  not  productive  of  any  result ;  for,  after  the  victory,  Bragg 
allowed  Buell  to  escape  from  his  front  and  retire  at  his  will  toward 
the  Ohio.  That  a  Confederate  army,  at  least  equal  in  all  respects, 
save  perhaps  numbers,  to  that  of  the  enemy,  should  thus  allow  him 
to  escape  was  then  inexplicable  to  the  people ;  and,  as  far  as  I  have 
learned,  it  is  so  still. 

There  is  no  critic  so  censorious  as  the  self-appointed  one ;  no  god 
so  inexorable  as  the  people's  voice.  General  Bragg's  last  hold  upon 
the  southern  masses — military  and  civil — was  lost  now. 

The  fight  at  Munfordville  occurred  on  the  iyth  of  September, 
but  it  was  not  until  the  4th  of  the  next  month  that  the  junction  with 
Smith  was  effected  at  Frankfort.  Then  followed  a  Federal  advance 
upon  that  town,  which  proved  a  mere  diversion ;  but  it  produced  the 
effect  of  deceiving  General  Bragg  and  of  causing  him  to  divide  his 
forces.  Hardee's  and  Buckner's  divisions  were  sent  to  Perryville ; 
and  they  with  Cheatham's — who  joined  them  by  a  forced  march — 
bore  the  brunt  of  the  battle  of  Perryville  on  the  8th  of  October. 
Notwithstanding  the  great  disparity  of  numbers,  the  vim  of  the 
"barefooted  boys"  prevailed  against  the  veterans  of  Buell's  army, 
under  General  G.  W.  Thomas.  They  gained  a  decided  advantage 
over  three  times  their  number,  but  once  again  what  was  a  mere  suc- 
cess might  have  been  a  crushing  defeat,  had  Bragg's  whole  army  been 
massed  at  Perryville. 


Four  Years  in  Rebel  Capitals.  213 

It  is  neither  within  the  scope  nor  the  purpose  of  this  chapter  to 
give  more  than  a  bare  skeleton  of  events,  or  to  discuss  the  delicate 
points  of  strategy ;  but  it  was  a  great  dash  to  the  hopes  of  the  entire 
people  that  what  might  have  been  a  crushing  blow  to  Buell — freeing 
three  states  from  Federal  occupation — resulted  only  in  the  retreat  of 
the  Confederates  from  Kentucky. 

For,  whatever  may  have  been  the  cause,  or  the  necessity  for  the 
movement,  the  army  was  hastily  withdrawn.  Supplies  were  burned ; 
disabled  carriages  and  abandoned  arms  marked  the  retreat ;  and  the 
terror-stricken  people  who  had,  a  few  weeks  before,  dismissed  the 
southern  banners  with  vivas  and  blessings  to  certain  victory,  now 
saw  that  same  army,  to  their  dismay  and  sorrow,  riling  sadly  and 
wearily  toward  the  border. 

Almost  equally  as  astonished  as  their  retreating  enemy,  the  Fed- 
erals pressed  on  in  pursuit,  hot  and  close ;  and  it  was  only  the  ability 
and  dash  with  which  General  Wheeler  covered  the  retreat  of  the 
army — laden  as  it  was  with  captured  arms  and  munitions,  and  en- 
cumbered with  crowds  of  women  and  children,  who  dared  not  stay 
behind — that  saved  it  from  destruction  on  that  disastrous  road  from 
Perryville  to  Cumberland  Gap. 

Loud,  deep  and  bitter  were  the  comments  of  the  people  when  the 
full  news  of  the  Kentucky  campaign  reached  them.  Unpopular  as 
the  name  of  Bragg  had  been  before,  it  was  now  mentioned  often  with 
execration  ;  and  the  reverses  of  his  universally-condemned  favorite 
reacted  upon  the  popularity  of  Mr.  Davis  as  well.  Without  under- 
standing the  details  of  the  campaign,  and  with  no  patience  to  listen 
to  the  excuses  of  his  few  defenders,  the  public  voice  was  unanimous 
in  denunciation  of  the  plan  and  conduct  of  the  whole  movement; 
and  it  arraigned  the  President  for  the  fault  of  his  inferior,  calling  him 
to  trial  before  a  jury  that  daily  was  becoming  more  biased  and  more 
bitter  against  him. 

Like  all  the  gloomy  pages  of  Confederate  history,  the  Kentucky 
campaign  was  illumined  by  flashes  of  brilliance,  dash  and  enduring 
courage,  surpassed  by  no  theater  of  the  war.  Disastrous  as  it  was  in 
result,  it  fixed  more  firmly  than  ever  the  high  reputation  of  Kirby 
Smith ;  it  wreathed  the  names  of  Buckner,  Hardee,  Cheatham  and 
Adams  with  fresh  bays ;  and  it  gave  to  Joseph  Wheeler  a  record  that 
the  people  of.  that  country  will  long  remember. 


214  Four  Years  in  Rebel  Capitals. 

In  the  events  first  preceding  the  disaster,  too,  as  well  as  in  his  in- 
dependent raid  during  July,  John  H.  Morgan  had  added  additional 
luster  to  his  rising  star,  that  was  only  to  culminate  in  his  exploits 
of  the  next  year.  These  were  the  brighter  gleams ;  but  the  whole 
picture  was,  indeed,  a  somber  one ;  and  there  can  be  no  wonder  at  the 
people's  anger  and  distrust  when  they  looked  upon  it.  For  it  showed 
a  vast  and  rich  territory,  teeming  with  those  supplies  needed  most, 
yielded  up  to  the  full  uses  of  the  enemy;  a  people  one  with  the 
South  at  heart  given  over  to  oppression  of  an  alien  soldiery  and  un^ 
able  to  co-operate  with  their  own  long  days  to  come;  and  across 
the  face  of  the  somber  picture  was  drawn  the  track  of  the  blood  of 
hundreds  of  brave  men ;  sacrificed  needlessly,  the  people  said — and 
in  a  manner  stupid,  if  not  barbarous. 

A  grave  injustice  had  been  done  the  people  of  Kentucky,  because 
of  their  conduct  during  the  retreat.  Baseless  charges  of  their  cow- 
ardice and  treachery  had  been  bandied  about  in  the  mouths  of  the 
unreflecting;  the  many  had  been  made  to  suffer  for  the  baseness  of 
the  few ;  and  the  shield  of  the  state  had  been  tarnished  because  of  an 
inaction  her  people  could  not  avoid. 

Crushed,  bound  and  deserted,  as  they  were — with  their  only 
reliance  fading  away  from  their  eyes,  and  a  bitter  and  triumphant 
enemy  in  hot  pursuit  at  their  very  doors — it  would  have  been  worse 
than  folly — it  would  have  been  suicide !  had  the  people  on  the  line 
of  that  retreat  offered  a  blatant  sympathy.  Utterly  useless  to  others 
it  must  have  been — and  even  more  ruinous  to  themselves! 

And  this  is  the  verdict  of  that  Justice  who,  though  slow  of  foot, 
fails  not  to  overtake  Truth,  in  her  own  good  time. 


Four  Years  in  Rebel  Capitals.  215 


CHAPTER  XXV. 

THE  WAR    IN   THE  WEST. 

And  misfortunes  did  not  come  singly,  but  in  battalions. 

The  trans-Mississippi  was  so  far  distant  that  only  broken  echoes  of 
its  troubles  could  penetrate  the  web  of  hostile  armies  between  it  and 
the  Capital.  But  those  echoes  were  all  of  gloom.  Desultory  warfare 
— with  but  little  real  result  to  either  side,  and  only  a  steady  drain  on 
Confederate  resources  and  men — had  waged  constantly.  A  trifling 
success  had  been  gained  at  Lone  Jack,  but  it  was  more  than  done  away 
with  by  aggregate  losses  in  bloody  guerrilla  fighting.  Spies,  too,  had 
been  shot  on  both  sides;  but  the  act  that  came  home  to  every  southern 
heart  was  the  wanton  murder  of  ten  Confederates  at  Palmyra,  by  the 
order  of  General  McNeil ,  on  the  flimsy  pretext  of  retaliation.  The 
act,  and  its  attendant  cruelties,  gained  for  him  in  the  South  the  name 
of  "The  Butcher;"  and  its  recital  found  grim  response  in  every 
southern  camp — as  each  hard  hand  clasped  tighter  round  the  hard 
musket  stock — and  there  was  an  answering  throb  to  the  cry  of 
Thompson's  prompt  war  song : 

"  Let  this  be  the  watchword  of  one  and  of  all — 
Remember  the  Butcher,  McNeil !  " 

Meantime,  Mississippi  had  been  the  scene  of  new  disasters.  Vicks- 
burg,  the  "  Queen  of  the  West,"  still  sat  unhurt  upon  her  bluffs,., 
smiling  defiance  to  the  storm  of  hostile  shot  and  shell ;  teaching  a 
lesson  of  spirit  and  endurance  to  which  the  whole  country  looked 
with  admiration  and  emulation.  On  the  i5th  of  August  the  iron-clad 
ram,  "Arkansas,"  had  escaped  out  of  the  Yazoo  river;  run  the 
gauntlet  of  the  Federal  fleet  at  Vicksburg  and  made  safe  harbor 
under  the  town,  to  aid  in  its  heroic  defense. 

Twenty  days  thereafter,  General  Breckinridge  made  a  most  chiv- 
alrous and  dashing,  but  equally  useless  and  disastrous,  attack  upon 
Baton  Rouge.  His  small  force  was  greatly  outnumbered  by  the 
garrison,  behind  heavy  works  and  aided  by  a  heavy  fleet  of  gunboats ;. 


216  Four  Years  in  Rebel  Capitals. 

and  after  a  splendidly  gallant  fight,  that  had  but  one  serious  result — 
he  was  forced  to  withdraw.  That  result  was  the  loss  of  the  ram 
Arkansas — which  went  down  to  co-operate  with  this  movement.  Her 
machinery  became  deranged,  and  there  was  only  the  choice  of  sur- 
rendering her  to  the  enemy,  or  of  sending  her  the  road  that  every 
Confederate  iron-clad  went  sooner,  or  later — and  she  was  blown  up. 

But  the  gloom  was  only  to  grow  deeper  and  deeper,  with  thickening 
clouds  and  fewer  gleams  of  light. 

After  the  fight  at  luka,  in  which  that  popular  darling  had  been 
defeated  and  forced  to  fall  back  before  superior  numbers,  Price  had 
combined  his  army  with  that  of  Van  Dorn ;  and  on  the  3d  of  October, 
the  latter  led  them  to  another  wild  and  Quixotic  slaughtering — stand- 
ing out  among  the  deeds  even  of  that  stirring  time,  in  bold  relief  for 
brilliant,  terrible  daring,  and  fearful  slaughter — but  hideous  in  its 
waste  of  life  for  reckless  and  ill-considered  objects.  The  forces  of 
the  enemy  at  Corinth  were  in  almost  impregnable  works ;  and  Van 
Dorn — after  worsting  them  in  a  hot  fight  on  the  3d,  and  driving  them 
into  these  lines,  next  day  attacked  the  defenses  themselves  and  was 
driven  back.  Officers  and  men  behaved  with  a  cool  and  brilliant 
daring  that  savored  more  of  romance  than  of  real  war ;  deeds  of  per- 
sonal prowess  beyond  precedent  were  done ;  and  the  army  of  Missis- 
sippi added  another  noble  page  to  its  record — but  written  deep  and 
crimson  in  its  best  blood. 

And  another  piteous  cry  was  wrung  from  the  hearts  of  the  people 
to  know  how  long,  O,  Lord!  were  these  terrible  scenes — killings, 
not  battles;  and  with  no  result  but  blood  and  disaster! — to  be  re- 
enacted. 

After  its  retreat  from  Kentucky,  Bragg's  army  rested  for  over  a 
month  at  Murfreesboro,  the  men  recruiting  from  the  fatigues  of  that 
exhausting  campaign ;  and  enjoying  themselves  with  every  species  of 
amusement  the  town  and  its  kindhearted  inhabitants  offered — in  that 
careless  reaction  from  disaster  that  ever  characterized  "Johnny  Reb. " 
There  was  no  fresh  defeat  to  discourage  the  anxious  watchers  at  a 
distance ;  while  the  lightning  dashes  of  John  Morgan,  wherever  there 
was  an  enemy's  railroad  or  wagon  train ;  and  the  flail-like  blows  of 
Forrest,  gave  both  the  army  and  the  people  breathing  space. 

But  fresh  masses  of  Federals  were  hovering  upon  the  track  of  the 
ill-starred  Bragg,  threatening  to  pounce  down  upon  and  destroy 


Four  Years  in  Rebel  Capitals.  217 

him — even  while  he  believed  so  much  in  their  inaction  as  to  think  of 
forcing  them  into  an  advance.  The  Federals  now  held  West  and 
Middle  Tennessee,  and  they  only  needed  control  of  East  Tennessee 
to  have  a  solid  base  of  operations  against  Northern  Georgia. 
Once  firmly  established  there,  they  could  either  force  their  way 
across  the  state  and  connect  wjth  their  Atlantic  seaboard  fleets;  or 
could  cut  the  sole  and  long  line  of  railroad  winding  through  the  Con- 
federate territory ;  thus  crippling  the  whole  body  by  tapping  its  main 
vital  artery,  and  causing  death  by  depletion.  Rosecrans,  with  an 
army  of  between  forty  and  fifty  thousand  men,  was  lying  in  Nash- 
ville, watching  and  waiting  the  moment  for  his  telling  blow. 

This  was  the  posture  on  Christmas,  1862.  Three  days  after  the 
enemy  struck — heavily  and  unexpectedly. 

The  first  intimation  General  Bragg  had  of  the  movement  was  cav- 
alry skirmishes  with  his  advance.  These  continued  daily,  increasing 
in  frequency  and  severity  until  the  3oth  of  December,  when  the  con- 
tending armies  were  near  enough  for  General  Polk  to  have  a  heavy 
fight  with  the  Federal  right. 

Next  day,  the  weather  being  bitter  and  the  driving  sleet  filling  the 
atmosphere,  the  general  battle  was  joined.  McCowan  and  Cleburne, 
under  Hardee,  charged  the  Federal's  right  through  a  deadly  hail  of 
artillery  and  small  arms,  that  darkened  the  air  as  thickly  as  the  sleet 
— driving  him  back  at  the  bayonet's  point  and  swinging  his  front 
round  from  his  center.  The  fierce  valor  of  the  southern  troops  and 
the  brilliant  dash  of  their  leaders  was  resistless ;  and  evening  fell  upon 
a  field,  wet  with  the  blood  of  the  South,  but  clearly  a  field  of  victory. 
Though  the  Federals  fought  with  desperation,  they  were  so  badly  hurt 
that  Bragg  believed  they  would  fall  back  that  night,  in  such  confusion 
as  to  leave  them  his  easy  prey. 

Morning  of  the  New  Year  dawned  cold,  dark  and  stormy;  but  the 
enemy  was  still  in  sight,  having  only  taken  up  a  stronger  position  on 
a  hill  and  posted  his  artillery  most  advantageously.  It  began  to  look 
as  if  General  Bragg's  telegram  to  Richmond  of  the  victory  he  had 
gained,  might  require  a  postscript ;  but  all  that  long  New  Year's  day 
he  allowed  the  enemy  time  to  recuperate  and  strengthen  his  position. 

It  seemed  as  though  another  Shiloh  was  to  be  re-enacted;  a  vic- 
tory wrenched  from  heavy  odds  by  valor  and  skill  was  to  be  nullified 
by  delay  in  crushing  the  enemy,  while  yet  demoralized. 


218  Four  Years  in  Rebel  Capitals. 

Next  day  came ;  and  then  Breckinridge  was  sent  through  a  terrific 
storm  of  balls  and  shell,  that  cut  down  his  gallant  boys  like  grass 
before  the  scythe.  On,  into  the  Valley  of  the  Shadow  they  strode ; 
thinned,  reeling,  broken  under  that  terrible  hail — but  never  blench- 
ing. And  the  crest  was  won!  but  the  best  blood  of  Kentucky, 
Louisiana,  Tennessee,  Florida,  Alabama  and  North  Carolina  was 
flooding  that  horrid  field!  Over  two  thousand  noble  fellows  lay  stiff, 
or  writhing  with  fearful  'wounds — thick  upon  the  path  behind  the  vic- 
torious column. 

And  then — with  that  fatality  that  seemed  ever  to  follow  the  fort- 
unes of  the  unfortunate  general  in  command — the  army  fell  back ! 

Broken  was  the  goblet  of  victory ;  wasted  the  wine  of  life !  And  it 
was  accepted  as  but  small  consolation,  by  the  people  who  hoped  and 
expected  so  much — small  surcease  to  the  sob  of  the  widow  and  the 
moan  of  the  orphan!  that  "the  retreat  to  Tullahoma  was  conducted 
in  good  order." 

And  again  the  public  voice  rose  loud  and  hoarse  and  threatening 
against  the  general  and  the  President,  whose  favorite  he  was  declared 
to  be. 

But  amid  the  darkening  clouds  that  frowned  close  and  threatening 
upon  him — fearless  of  the  future  and  heedless  of  the  ominous  roar 
of  dissatisfaction  far  and  near — sat  the  ruling  spirit  of  the  storm  he 
had  raised.  Grim,  steady  and  purposeful,  Jefferson  Davis  worked 
his  busy  brain  and  frail  body  almost  past  belief,  to  redeem  the 
errors  of  his  chosen  instruments — seeking  no  counsel,  asking  no 
aid — and  day  by  day  losing  the  confidence  of  the  sand-shifting  pop- 
ulace, who  had  once  made  him  their  God!  And  one  act  of  his  now 
did  more  than  all  besides  to  reassure  the  public  mind. 

Joseph  E.  Johnston  was  sent  to  command  the  armies  of  the 
West!  Since  his  wound  at  "  Seven  Pines,"  the  Government — from 
causes  unknown  to  the  people — had  allowed  this  brilliant  soldier  to 
rust  in  inactivity ;  and  now,  when  all  of  evil  that  ill-fortune  and  want 
of  combination  could  accomplish  had  been  done  in  the  West,  he  was 
singled  out,  and  sent  forth  to  reap  the  harvest  so  bitterly  sown.  He 
was  told,  in  effect,  to  take  the  frayed  and  scattered  ends  of  armies 
and  campaigns  and  bind  them  into  a  firm  and  resisting  chain  of 
strategy;  or — to  bear  the  sins  of  others  upon  his  shoulders  and  have 
the  finger  of  History  point  to  him  as  the  man  who  lost  the  West ! 


Four  Years  in  Rebel  Capitals.  219 

But  patriot  soldier  and  true  knight  as  he  was — little  resentful  of  the 
coldness  of  Government  as  he  was  doubtful  of  his  own  ability — 
' '  Joe  Johnston  "  accepted  the  test  cheerily  and  went  forth  to  do,  or 
die. 

"  For  the  Johnstons  have  ever  borne  wings  on  their  spurs, 

And  their  motto  a  noble  distinction  confers 

'Ever  ready  !  '  for  friend,  or  for  foe  1 " 

And  this  worthy  son  of  noble  sires  went  to  clear  the  Augean  Stables 
of  the  West;  and  the  God-speed  of  his  own  state — swelled  into  a 
hearty  chorus  by  the  voice  of  the  country — followed  him  on  his 
knightly  errand ! 

Meantime,  Lincoln's  famous  Proclamation  of  Emancipation  had 
been  promulgated.  It  made  little  difference  to  the  people  of  the 
South  ;  for  it  was  at  that  time  looked  upon  as  a  vaunt  as  idle  as  if  he 
had  declared  the  throne  of  England  vacant.  Secure  in  their  belief 
in  their  right  doing,  and  in  the  trusty  arms  and  deadly  rifles  that  de- 
fended it,  the  southern  masses  never  dreamed  the  day  would  come 
when  that  proclamation  would  be  more  than  the  paper  upon  which  it 
was  engrossed.  Still,  in  the  general  gloom  upon  them,  it  was  taken 
as  but  another  augury  of  the  bitter  spirit  animating  their  enemies ;  and 
of  the  extent  to  which  it  would  drve  them  in  this  war  for  the  Union 
and  flag. 

And  so  the  close  of  '62  fell  dark  and  dismal  upon  the  distracted 
country ;  enlivened  only  by  the  sole  gleam  in  Virginia — the  repulse 
of  Burnside  from  Fredericksburg.  But  even  the  joy  for  this  triumph 
was  dashed  by  the  precious  blood  spilled  to  purchase  it ;  another  vent 
for  that  steady  drain  of  men,  material  and  endurance — already  almost 
past  bearing. 

But  there  was  no  weak  yielding  in  Government,  or  in  people. 
Men  looked  at  each  other  through  the  gloom,  and  even  as  they  asked 
— "Brother,  what  of  the  night?" — struck  hands  in  a  clasp  that 
meant  renewed  faith  in  the  cause  and  renewed  determination  to 
prove  its  right. 

Early  in  the  New  Year,  tews  reached  Richmond  of  Magruder's 
amphibious  victory,  the  recapture  of  Galveston ;  which  town  had 
fallen  a  prey  to  the  enemy's  naval  power  early  in  October.  On  the 
last  night  of  '62 — while  the  wearied  troops  of  Bragg  were  sleeping 
on  the  bloody  field  of  Murfreesboro — General  Magruder,  with  a  mixed 


22o  Four  Years  in  Rebel  Capitals. 

command  of  three  regiments  of  raw  infantry,  some  nineteen  pieces 
of  field  artillery,  and  a  boarding  fleet  of  four  unarmed  boats,  came 
down  '  silently  to  Galveston.  The  Federal  fleet — consisting  of  the 
Harriet  Lane,  the  Clifton,  the  Westfield  and  the  Ossawa — were  lying 
just  off  the  town ;  covering  it  with  their  broadsides  and  supported 
by  a  force  of  infantry. 

Coming  suddenly  upon  them,  like  shadows  through  the  darkness, 
Magruder's  land  force  opened  a  hot  fire  with  field  artillery — and  aid- 
ed by  the  daring  boarding  of  the  Lane  by  Colonel  Leon  Smith's  co- 
operating water  party — captured  the  former  steamer,  burned  one  other, 
and  drove  the  remaining  ones,  with  their  tenders,  to  sea ;  where  it 
was  impossible  to  follow  them. 

This  gallant  and  comparatively  bloodless  raising  of  the  Galveston 
blockade  was  a  gleam  of  hopeful  light ;  especially  as  it  was  almost 
coincident  with  the  first  approach  to  a  naval  success,  by  the  force  of 
Commodore  Ingraham  in  Charleston  Harbor  on  the  3oth  of  January. 
The  vessels  under  his  command  were  ill-built,  awkward  tubs — as  will 
hereafter  be  seen ;  but  the  terrible  Brooke  gun  did  its  work  at  long 
range,  and  drove  the  wooden  blockading  fleet  from  the  harbor  for  the 
moment. 

This  victory,  unimportant  as  it  was — for  the  blockade  it  claimed 
to  raise  was  renewed  and  strengthened  within  a  few  days — was  cheer- 
ing; for,  said  the  people,  if  the  Confederates  can  succeed  on  the 
water,  -surely  the  star  of  the  South  is  not  really  on  the  wane. 

But  there  was,  after  the  New  Year,  a  sudden  stoppage  of  active 
movements  on  both  sides.  The  terrific  crash  of  hostile  cannon — the 
continuous  roar  of  opposing  small  arms — and  the  groan  of  the  Fed- 
eral mixed  with  the  death-cry  of  the  Confederate,  were  all  suddenly 
stilled.  The  fearful  tornado  of  war  that  had  swept  for  many  months 
the  once-smiling  Southland — leaving  its  wake  only  the  blackened  track 
of  ruin  piled  thick  with  stiffened  corpses!  was  suddenly  hushed;  as 
though  the  evil  powers  that  had  raised  it  must  pause  to  gather  fresh 
strength,  before  once  more  driving  it  in  a  fiercer  and  deadlier  blast. 

In  the  West,  we  had  lost  in  the  early  year  the  strong  position  of 
Arkansas  Post  with  its  large  accumulation  of  stores  and  its  garrison  of 
over  3,000  men;  but  the  Queen  City  still  sat  defiant  and  unharmed, 
the  hostile  fleet  and  army  having  left  its  fruitless  task ;  and  the  twin 
stronghold  of  Port  Hudson  showed  another  row  of  ugly  teeth,  into 
range  of  which  no  Federal  force  seemed  yet  ready  to  venture. 


Four  Years  in  Rebel  Capitals.  221 

On  the  Atlantic  seaboard,  too,  the  prospects,  at  this  time,  appeared 
more  cheering.  Girt  as  it  was,  with  one  unbroken  line  of  watch- 
ful cruisers,  with  every  port  apparently  sealed  by  blockade — southern 
ingenuity  and  pluck  still  defied  them  and  ran  in  precious  stores  of 
arms,  clothing  and  medicines.  General  Beauregard  had  taken  active 
command  of  South  Carolina  and  Georgia ;  and  had  put  the  defenses 
of  both  coasts — especially  of  Charleston  and  Savannah — into  such  a 
state  of  fitness  as  quite  satisfied  the  Government  and  made  the  peo- 
ple of  those  states  calm  and  confident  in  his  ability  to  protect  them 
and  theirs.  General  Gustavus  W.  Smith — the  friend  and  comrade  of 
General  Joe  Johnston — had,  like  him,  been  rewarded  for  his  sacri- 
fices in  coming  South,  and  his  able  exertions  afterward,  by  the  cold- 
ness and  neglect  of  the  Government.  But  like  him,  too,  he  forgot 
personal  wrongs;  and,  when  ordered  to  North  Carolina,  threw  his 
whole  energy  and  skill  into  the  works  of  defense  for  the  coast  and 
for  that  vital  artery  of  railroad,  on  which  the  life  of  the  South  de- 
pended. 

Butler  still  waged  his  peculiar  warfare  upon  unarmed  men  and 
weak  women  in  the  soft  nest  he  had  made  himself,  at  New  Orleans ; 
but  Mobile  reared  her  defiant  crest  and  took  into  her  bosom  peaceful 
vessels  laden  with  stores  of  priceless  utility,  only  to  send  them  cut 
again — bristling  with  rifled  cannon,  fleet-winged  and  agile,  ready  to 
pounce  upon  the  Federal  shipping. 

In  the  Middle  West,  Johnston's  presence  had  acted  like  oil  upon 
the  darkening  waters  of  trouble  and  despair.  There  had  been  no 
record  of  fresh  disaster,  or  fresh  mismanagement ;  the  troops  were 
recruiting,  resting  and  increasing  in  numbers  and  efficiency ;  the  cav- 
alry, mobilized  under  Van  Dorn — at  last  placed  in  his  proper  sphere 
— had  done  efficient  and  harassing,  if  desultory  warfare,  upon  the 
enemy's  small  posts  and  communications.  Pegram — by  his  effective 
raid  through  Kentucky — had  shown  that  her  people  there  were  not 
forgotten  by  their  brothers  beyond ;  and  his  skillful  retreat — laden  with 
heavy  droves  of  cattle  and  in  the  face  of  a  superior  force — gained 
him  high  praise  from  his  superior  officers. 

And  so  the  people  watched  and  waited — hopeless  no  longer,  but 
quite  recovered  from  the  prostration  of  the  rapid,  heavy  and  contin- 
uous blows  of  the  previous  autumn.  Steadfast  and  buoyant,  as  they 
were  ever,  the  masses  of  the  South  once  more  turned  their  backs  upon 


222  Fotir  Years  in  Rebel  Capitals. 

past  disaster,  looking  eagerly  through  the  dark  cloud  for  the  silver 
lining  they  felt  must  be  beyond. 

And  again,  as  ever,  they  turned  their  eyes  toward  Virginia — 
stately  and  calm  amid  the  shock  of  battle.  And  they  hoped  not  in 
vain;  for  over  her  blackened  fields — furrowed  by  shot  and  shell, 
drenched  with  blood  of  best  and  bravest,  but  only  more  sacred  for 
the  precious  libation — was  again  to  ring  the  clarion  shout  of  victory 
that  ever  swelled  from  the  lines  of  Stonewall  Jackson ! 


Four  Years  in  Rebel  Capitals.  223 


CHAPTER  XXVI. 

THE   FAILURE  IN    FINANCE. 

When  the  competent  historian  shall  at  last  undertake  a  thoughtful 
work  upon  our  great  struggle,  there  can  be  little  doubt  that  he  will 
rank  among  the  primary  causes  of  the  Confederacy's  dissolution  the 
grave  errors  of  its  financial  system. 

These  errors  he  will  find  not  only  in  the  theory  and  framework  of 
that  system — founded  upon  a  fallacy,  but  also  in  the  detailed  work- 
ings of  its  daily  management ;  and  in  persistent  adherence  to  a  line 
of  policy,  each  day  proved  more  fatal. 

In  a  previous  chapter,  allusion  has  been  made  to  the  feeling  of 
conscious  superiority,  pervading  all  classes  of  government  and  peo- 
ple at  the  inception  of  the  struggle,  at  Montgomery.  This  extended 
to  all  classes  of  the  people ;  and  the  universal  belief  in  the  great 
dogma  of  secession — "  Cotton  is  king  !  " — was  doubtless  the  founda- 
tion of  that  cardboard  structure  of  Confederate  finance,  which  the 
first  rude  shock  toppled  to  pieces,  and  the  inexorable  breath  of  de- 
mand shriveled  into  nothingness. 

At  Montgomery,  the  promises  of  ease  in  money  matters  were  all 
that  could  have  been  asked.  The  people,  everywhere,  had  come 
forward  with  frank,  unanimous  selflessness.  They  had  faith  in  the 
cause — faith  in  the  Government  — faith  in  themselves ;  and  they 
proved  it  by  their  works,  giving  with  lavish  hand  from  their  sub- 
stance. It  was  felt  that  the  great  prosperity  of  the  North  had,  in  a 
jreat  measure,  come  from  the  South ;  that  the  looms  of  New  England 
were  fed  with  southern  cotton ;  that  the  New  York  custom  house  was 
mainly  busied  over  southern  exports ;  that  the  soil  of  the  South  was, 

the  alchemy  of  trade,  transmuted  annually  into  three-fifths  of  the 
gold  in  the  Federal  treasury. 

' '  Egad,  sir ! — money  is  our  last  trouble,  sir !  "  my  old  friend,  the 
colonel,  had  cried  with  enthusiasm.  "The  country  teems  with  riches 
— actually  teems,  sir !  with  gold.  We  have  only  to  stretch  out  our 


224  Four  Years  in  Rebel  Capitals. 

hands  to  gather  it  in — more  than  we  want,  egad !  Men  we  need,  sir ! 
— but  money,  never  !  " 

And  the  colonel  was  right  in  theory.  But  that  very  overweening 
confidence  in  her  strength  proved  the  South's  greatest  weakness ;  and 
where  was  needed  the  strong,  nervous  grasp  of  a  practical  and  prac- 
ticed hand,  to  seize  at  once  the  threads  of  gold,  and  weave  them  into 
a  solid  cord  of  system — weak  and  shifting  fingers  were  allowed  to 
tangle  and  confuse  them,  till  each  in  turn  was  snapped  and  rendered 
worse  than  worthless.  Mr.  C.  G.  Memminger,  whom  the  President 
elevated  to  the  Treasury  Department,  was  untried  and  unknown  out 
of  his  own  State;  but  so  great  was  the  confidence  of  the  people  in 
their  financial  power — so  simple  did  the  problem  of  its  development 
seem  to  them — that  they  were  trustful  and  satisfied,  until  the  stern 
grasp  of  necessity  roughly  shook  them  from  their  golden  dream. 
And  they  awoke,  like  the  sleeper  of  German  legend,  to  find  their 
hands  filled. with  worthless  yellow  leaves  and  grains  of  chaff,  where 
they  had  dreamed  of  treasure  beyond  compare. 

Immediately  upon  his  appointment,  thoughtful  men — who  could 
look  a  little  beyond  the  rose-colored  clouds  of  the  present — had 
pressed  upon  Secretary  Memminger  the  necessity  for  establishing 
heavy  foreign  credits,  to  draw  against  in  case  of  future  need.  The 
currency  of  the  southern  banks  was  comparatively  nothing,  in  view 
of  increased  expenditures.  The  cotton  which  was  gold — food — 
clothing — everything  to  the  South,  with  the  open  ports  of  the  North, 
would  be  more  worthless  than  the  wampum  of  the  Indians,  so  soon 
as  the  threatened  blockade  might  seal  up  her  ports  and  exclude  the 
European  purchaser.  But,  on  the  contrary,  if  that  cotton  were 
bought  on  the  faith  of  the  Government — and  planters  would  willingly 
have  sold  their  last  pound  for  Confederate  bonds;  if  it  were  shipped 
to  Europe  at  once  and  sold  in  her  market,  as  circumstances  might 
warrant,  the  Confederacy  would,  in  effect,  have  a  Treasury  Depart- 
ment abroad,  with  a  constantly  accruing  gold  balance.  Then  it 
could  have  paid — without  agencies  and  middlemen  beyond  number, 
who  were  a  constant  moth  in  the  Treasury — in  cash  and  at  reduced 
prices,  for  all  foreign  supplies ;  those  supplies  could  have  been  pur- 
chased promptly  and  honestly,  and  sent  in  before  the  blockade 
demanded  a  toll  of  one-half;  but  above  all,  the  interest  and  principal 
of  such  bonds  to  the  planters  could  have  been  paid  in  coin,  and  a 


Four  Years  in  Rebel  Capitals.  225 

specie  circulation  thus  been  made,  instead  of  the  fatal  and  endless 
paper  issues  that  rendered  Confederate  credit  a  scoff,  and  weakened 
the  confidence  of  the  southern  people  in  the  ability  and  integrity  of 
that  department. 

In  this  sense — and  this  sense  alone — Cotton  was  king!  But  the 
hands  that  could  have  lifted  him  safely  upon  a  throne  and  made  every 
fiber  a  golden  sinew  of  war,  weakly  wrested  the  scepter  from  his 
grasp,  and  hid  him  away  from  the  sight  and  from  the  very  memory 
of  nations. 

It  was  as  though  the  youngest  of  the  nations  aped  the  legendary 
traditions  of  the  oldest.  After  the  potent  and  vigorous  King  Cotton 
was  killed  by  starvation,  Confederate  finance  treated  him  as  Jewish  ,V 
myth  declares  dead  King  Solomon  was  treated.  In  his  million-acred 
temple,  he  stood — cold,  white  and  useless — leaning  upon  his  broken 
staff;  while  timorous  leadership  gaped  at  his  still  majesty — 

"  Awed  by  the  face,  and  the  fear,  and  the  fame 

Of  the  dead  king  standing  there ; 
For  his  beard  was  so  white  and  his  eyes  so  cold, 
They  left  him  alone  with  his  crown  of  gold!  " 

Had  the  Government  bought — as  was  urged  upon  it  in  the  fall  of 
'6 1 — all  the  cotton  in  the  country,  at  the  then  prices,  and  paid 
for  it  in  Confederate  bonds  at  six  per  cent.,  that  cotton — according 
to  calculations  of  the  best  cotton  men  of  the  South — would  have  pro- 
duced in  Liverpool,  during  the  next  three  years,  at  rapidly-increasing 
prices,  over  one  thousand  millions  of  dollars  in  goldl  Granting  this 
erroneous,  even  by  one-half,  it  follows  that  the  immense  specie 
balance  thus  held,  would — after  paying  all  accruing  interest — have 
left  such  a  surplus  as  to  have  kept  the  currency  issue  of  Confederate 
States'  notes  merely  nominal,  and  even  then  have  held  them  at  a  par 
valuation. 

The  soldier,  who  freely  bared  his  breast  to  the  shock  of  a  hundred 
battles  for  his  country,  his  fireside  and  his  little  ones,  could  then 
have  sent  his  pittance  of  eleven  dollars  a  month  to  that  fireside,  with 
the  consciousness  it  might  buy  those  dear  ones  bread  at  least.  But: 
long  before  the  darkest  days  fell  upon  the  South,  his  whole  month's; 
pay  would  not  buy  them  one  pound  of  bacon! 

Secretary  Memminger  would  seem  to  have  had  some  theory,  or 
reasons  of  his  own,  for  refusing  to  listen  to  the  plain  common  sense.- 


226  Four  Years  in  Rebel  Capitals. 

in  these  suggestions  from  practical  sources.  With  a  strictly  agricult- 
ural population  to  supply,  he  insisted  on  the  issue  of  Confederate 
notes  in  such  volume  that  the  supply  far  exceeded  the  demand. 
For,  had  there  been  a  large  manufacturing  population  actively  em- 
ployed in  the  South,  as  there  was  in  the  North,  the  inflation  of  cur- 
rency might  have  been  temporarily  concealed  by  its  rapid  passage 
from  hand  to  hand.  But  with  no  such  demand — with  only  the  daily 
necessities  of  the  household  and  of  the  person  to  relieve — the  plethora 
of  these  promises  to  pay  naturally  resulted,  first  in  sluggishness,  then 
in  a  complete  break-down  of  the  whole  system. 

Still,  from  the  joyous  days  of  Montgomery,  and  the  triumphant 
ones  after  Manassas — through  the  doubtful  pauses  of  the  next  winter 
and  the  dark  days  of  New  Orleans — on  to  the  very  Dies  ir& — there 
pervaded  government  and  people  a  secure  belief  that  the  finances  of 
the  North  would  break  down,  and  the  war  collapse  for  want  of 
money ! 

And  so  tenacious  were  people  and  rulers  of  this  ingrained  belief, 
that  they  cherished  it,  even  while  they  saw  the  greenbacks  of  the 
Federal  Government  stand  at  25  to  30  per  cent,  depreciation,  while 
their  own  Treasury  notes  dropped  rapidly  from  one  hundred  to  one 
thousandl 

Let  us  pause  for  one  moment  to  examine  upon  what  basis  this 
dream  was  founded,  before  going  into  the  sad  picture  of  want — de- 
moralization— ruin !  into  which  the  errors  of  its  Treasury  plunged  the 
southern  people. 

Accepting  the  delusive  estimate  that  all  the  property  of  the  United 
States,  in  1861,  represented  but  one-fifth  more  than  that  of  the  Con- 
federate States;  and  that  over  three-fifths  of  the  gold  duties  were 
from  cotton  and  cotton  fabrics,  and  products  of  the  South  alone,  it 
was  easy  for  the  southern  eye  to  see  a  future  of  trial,  if  not  of  ruin, 
for  the  North.  Then,  too,  at  the  beginning  of  the  war  it  was  reasoned 
that  the  northern  army  of  invasion,  working  on  exterior  lines,  must 
necessarily  be  greater  far  in  numbers  and  in  cost,  than  the  army  of 
defense,  working  on  interior  lines.  Moreover,  the  vast-proposed 
blockade,  by  increasing  to  a  point  of  anything  like  efficiency  the 
vessels,  armament,  and  personnel  of  the  United  States  navy,  would 
cost  many  millions.  Thus,  in  short,  the  southern  thinker  could  very 
readily  persuade  himself  that  the  annual  expenditures  of  the  Federal 


Four  Years  in  Rebel  Capitals.  227 

Government  must — even  with  the  strictest  economy  and  best  man- 
agement— run  to  unprecedented  and  undreamed-of  sums. 

The  demand  for  increased  appropriations  with  the  very  first  call  of 
Mr.  Lincoln  for  troops,  justified  this  belief;  the  budget  of  '62  to  the 
United  States  Congress  went  far  beyond  all  expectation;  and  the 
wild  waste,  extravagance,  and  robbery  that  swelled  each  succeeding 
estimate,  were  but  more  and  more  proof  to  the  southern  thinker,  that 
he  must  be  right.  But  he  had  made  one  grave  miscalculation. 

Into  the  woof  of  delusion  which  he  continued  to  weave,  for  en- 
wrapping his  own  judgment,  such  reasoner  omitted  wholly  to  cross 
the  warp  of  combined  result.  He  neglected  that  vastly-important 
filament — proper  and  value-enhancing  handling  of  his  valuable  pro- 
duction ;  the  reality  that  southern  cotton,  sugar  and  rice  had  become 
so  great  a  factor  in  national  wealth,  mainly  through  manipulation  by 
northern  hands.  He  did  not  stop  to  calculate  that — those  hands  re- 
moved and,  in  addition,  the  ports  of  the  South  herself  hermetically 
sealed — all  product,  not  consumable,  must  become  as  valueless  as 
the  leaves  and  dross  of  the  German's  dreamer ! 

The  expenses  of  the  North  have  ever  been  paid  by  the  South,  he 
reasoned.  This  sum  now  withdrawn,  it  follows  that  not  only  will 
the  increased  expenses  of  the  North  not  be  paid ;  but  the  heavy  bal- 
ance will  be  efficient  in  the  southern  Treasury,  to  meet  our  far  smaller 
expenses.  « 

With  equal  ability  in  management,  this  result  might  have  hap- 
pened ;  for  there  is  no  sort  of  doubt  that  depreciation  in  southern 
money  was,  in  some  regards,  reason  for  appreciation  in  northern.  But 
while  the  policy  of  the  southern  Treasury  was  weak,  vacillating  and 
destructive,  that  of  the  northern  was  strong,  bold  and  cautious. 
While  Mr.  Memminger — instead  of  utilizing  those  products  which 
had  heretofore  been  the  life-blood  of  northern  finance — allowed  the 
precious  moments  to  pass;  and  flooded  the  country  with  paper,  with 
only  future,  instead  of  present  and  actual,  basis  of  redemption,  the 
northern  Secretary  struck  boldly  at  the  very  root  of  the  matter  and 
made  each  successive  disaster  to  northern  arms  another  link  in  the 
strengthening  chain  of  northern  credit. 

The  Union  finances  did  indeed  appear  desperate.  The  stoppage 
of  a  sure  and  heavy  means  of  revenue,  at  the  same  moment  that  the 
spindles  of  New  England  stood  still  for  want  of  food ;  the  increased 


228  Four  Years  in  Rebel  Capitals. 

demand  for  fabrics  and  supplies,  that  had  now  to  be  imported ;  and 
the  vast  increase  of  expenditure,  coincident  with  decrease  in  reve- 
nue, left  but  had  one  door  open  to  escape.  The  North  was  flooded  with 
greenback  promises  to  pay,  issued  with  one  sole  basis  of  redemption 
— the  chance  of  absolute  conquest  of  a  people  roused,  warlike,  and 
determined  to  yield  nothing  save  their  lives. 

To  meet  this  issue  and  the  interest  of  the  vast  debt  incurred,  tax- 
ation in  the  North  rapidly  increased,  until  the  oppressive  burden  rep- 
resented, in  one  or  another  shape,  near  20  per  cent,  of  the  real  prop- 
erty of  the  people ! 

Besides,  the  North,  unlike  ourselves — argued  the  hopeful  southern 
financier — does  not  go  into  the  war  as  a  unit.  New  York,  the  great 
money  center,  is  entirely  opposed  to  the  war ;  New  England  is  dis- 
contented at  the  stoppage  of  her  factories  and  the  loss  imposed  upon 
her  people ;  and  the  great  West,  ever  more  bound  to  the  South  than 
to  the  East,  by  community  of  interest  and  of  pursuit,  must  soon  see 
that  her  only  road  to  salvation  is  down  the  great  river  that  has  here- 
tofore been  the  one  lung  that  gave  her  the  breath  of  life !  Will  the 
cute  Yankee  of  New  England  submit  to  be  ruined,  and  starved,  and 
taxed  in  addition  ?  Will  the  great  commercial  metropolis  let  the  grass 
grow  in  her  streets  and  the  vessels  rot  at  her  wharves,  that  once  laughed 
with  southern  cotton  ?  Will  the  granary  and  meat-house  of  the  Union 
yield  all  her  produce  for  baseless  paper  promises  and,  in  addition 
pay  heavy  tax  to  carry  on  a  war,  suicidal  as  she  must  see  it  ? 

Such  were  the  delusions  of  the  South — based,  it  may  be,  upon 
reason,  and  only  delusions  because  underestimating  and  despising 
the  great  ingenuity  of  the  enemy,  and  the  vast  cohesive  power  of  in- 
terest ! 

If  the  Washington  government  could  not  make  the  war  popular, 
it  could  at  least  make  it  a  great  money  job.  If  it  could  not  bring  it 
at  once  to  the  hearts  of  its  people,  it  could  at  least  force  it  directly 
upon  their  pockets. 

The  vast  increase  in  army  and  navy  gave  sudden  and  excitingly 
novel  employment  to  thousands  of  men  then  out  of  situations;  the 
unprecedented  demand  for  materials  of  war — arms — munitions — cloth- 
ing— supplies — turned  the  North  and  East  into  one  vast  armory  and 
quartermaster's  store  \  while  the  West  was  a  huge  commissary  depart- 
ment. Then  the  Government  paid  well  and  promptly,  if  it  did  pay 


Four  Years  in  Rebel  Capitals.  229 

in  greenbacks.     These  daily  changed  hands  and  nobody  stopped  to 
inquire  on  what  the  promise  to  pay  was  based. 

Great  contracts  were  let  out  to  shrewd  and  skillful  moneyed  men ; 
these  again  subdivided  became  the  means  of  employing  thousands 
of  idle  hands — while  each  sub-contractor  became  a  missionary  to  the 
mob  to  preach  the  gospel  of  the  greenback ! 

But  above  all  was  the  shrewdness  and  finesse  with  which  the  bonds 
were  manipulated.  The  suction  once  applied,  the  great  engine,  Wai 
street,  was  pumped  dry ;  and  self-preservation  made  every  bondholder 
a  de  facto  emissary  of  the  Treasury  Department. 

Banker  and  baker,  soldier  and  seamstress,  were  equally  interested 
in  the  currency.  It  became  greenback  or  nothing,  and  the  United 
States  used  the  theory  of  self-preservation  on  which  to  build  a  sub- 
stantial edifice  of  public  credit. 

These  were  the  hard,  real  reasons  that  dissipated  at  last  the  dream 
of  the  South;  that  kept  the  greenback  promise  of  the  manufacturing 
North  at  little  below  gold,  while  the  grayback  of  the  producing  South 
went  down — down — from  two — to  ten — twenty — at  last,  to  one  thou- 
sand dollars  for  one. 


230  Four  Years  in  Rebel  Capitals. 


CHAPTER  XXVII. 

DOLLARS,  CENTS,    AND    LESS. 

And  now,  looking  back  to  the  struggling  and  suffering  South,  one 
asks  with  wonder  how  these  results  could  have  transpired. 

Unlike  the  North,  the  South  went  into  the  struggle  with  her  whole 
soul  and  her  whole  strength.  Every  man  came  forward  with  one 
accord,  willing  to  work  in  the  way  he  best  might  for  the  cause  he 
held  sacred;  ready  to  give  his  arm,  his  life,  and  all  he  had  beside,  for 
the  general  good.  Whole  regiments  were  put  into  service,  armed, 
uniformed  and  equipped,  without  costing  the  central  government  one 
dollar ;  and  in  some  instances — as  of  that  spotless  knight,  true  gen- 
tleman and  pure  patriot,  Wade  Hampton — raised  by  the  energy,  paid 
for  by  the  generosity,  and  led  to  death  itself  by  the  valor  of  one  man ! 

Corporations  came  into  this  general  feeling.  Railroads  put  their 
rolling-stock  and  their  power  in  the  hands  of  the  Government ;  agree- 
ing, as  early  as  the  origin  of  the  Montgomery  government,  to  take 
their  pay  at  Jialf  rates  and  in  government  bonds.  Banks  put  their 
facilities  and  their  circulation,  manufacturers  their  machinery  and 
foundries  their  material,  at  public  disposition,  for  the  bare  cost  of  ex- 
istence. Farmers  and  graziers  cheerfully  yielded  all  demanded  of 
them !  And  how  the  women  wrought — how  soft  hands  that  had  never 
worked  before  plied  the  ceaseless  needle  through  the  tough  fabric — 
how  taper  fingers  packed  the  boxes  for  camp,  full  from  self-denial  at 
home — shall  shine  down  all  history  as  the  brightest  page  in  story  of 
noble  selflessness. 

In  the  deadly  hail  of  hostile  batteries ;  in  the  sweltering  harvest- 
field  of  August,  and  at  the  saddened  and  desolate  fireside  of  Decem- 
ber, the  southern  people  wrought  on — hoped  on  ! 

And  the  result  of  all  this  willing  sacrifice  was  greatly  to  reduce 
the  burdens  on  the  treasury.  For  reasons  before  stated  the  southern 
army  was  smaller,  and  its  transportation  cost  far  less,  than  that  of  the 
enemy.  Its  equipment  was  far  cheaper,  and  its  subsistence  for  every 
reason  infinitely  smaller. 


Four  Years  in  Rebel  Capitals.  231 

Still,  with  an  outlay  per  diem  scarcely  more  than  one-tenth  that  of 
the  North — which  amounted  to  near  $4,000,000!  daily;  with  the 
teeming  fields  and  bursting  warehouses  filled  with  cotton — a  year 
back,  auriferous  in  every  .fiber — worthless  now ;  and  with  a  people 
thus  united  to  act  and  to  aid  it,  the  Southern  Treasury  continued 
to  flood  the  country  with  paper  issues,  based  only  on  the  silver 
lining  of  the  cloud  that  hung  darker  and  ever  darker  over  the  South. 

With  one-tenth  the  population  in  the  field  and  the  rest  working  for 
them,  there  was  no  real  demand  for  this  inordinate  issue.  One-tenth 
the  volume  of  currency  properly  distributed,  with  a  coincident  issue 
of  bonds,  would  have  relieved  the  actual  necessities  of  buyer  and 
seller.  But  still  the  wheels  worked  on — still  Treasury  notes  fluttered 
out,  until  every  bank  and  store  and  till  was  glutted  with  them.. 

Then  the  results  of  the  inflation  came  with  relentless  and  rapid 
pace.  With  the  people  still  convinced  of  the  inevitable  outcome  of  their 
united  efforts;  with  the  thinkers  of  the  South  still  evolving  their 
theories  of  the  philosopher's  stone  to  change  all  this  mass  of  paper 
into  gold ;  and  with  the  press  of  the  country  blatant  about  the  speedy 
and  certain  collapse  of  northern  credit;  above  all,  with  millions 
of  pounds  of  cotton  rotting  in  our  warehouses — Confederate  money, 
little  by  little,  bought  less  and  less  of  the  necessaries  of  life. 

At  first  the  change  was  very  gradual.  In  the  summer  of  1861, 
persons  coming  to  Richmond  from  Europe  and  the  North  spent 
their  gold  as  freely  as  the  Treasury  notes.  Then  gold  rose  to  five, 
ten,  fifteen,  and  finally  to  forty  per  cent,  premium.  There  it  stuck 
for  a  time.  But  the  issues  increased  in  volume,  the  blockade  grew 
more  effective,  and  misgivings  about  the  Treasury  management  crept 
into  the  minds  of  the  people.  Gold  went  up  again,  ten  per  cent,  at 
a  jump,  until  it  touched  a  hundred — then  rapidly  to  a  hundred  and 
fifty. 

"  The  whole  system  looks  devilish  blue,"  said  Styles  Staple,  who^ 
was  curing  an  ugly  wound  in  his  thigh.     "  I've  been  writing  '  the 
house '  about    it,    and   the   Gov.    thinks   the  hour  has  passed   for 
utilizing  the  cotton.     If  that  can't  be  impressed  by  the  Government, 
the  whole  bottom  will  fall  out  of  this  thing  before  many  months." 

"  If  it  ever  passes  the  two  hundred,"  solemnly  quoth  the  colonel  in 
answer,  "egad,  sir!  'twill  go  up  like  a  rocket!  Up,  sir!  egad  t 
clean  out  of  sight!" 


232  Four  Years  in  Rebel  Capitals.  ' 

I  candidly  answered  that  I  could  not  see  the  end  of  the  inflation. 

"I  do,"  Styles  growled — "Repudiation!" 

"  Well,  that's  no  end  of  a  nobby  thing!  "  cried  Will  Wyatt,  who 
was  always  bored  about  anything  more  serious  than  the  last  book,  or 
charging  a  battery.  ' '  Cheerful  that,  for  a  fellow's  little  pile  to  go  up 
like  a  rocket,  and  he  not  even  to  get  the  stick." 

"  He  can  have  the  smoke,  however,"  answered  Styles  more  cheer- 
ily, as  he  hobbled  over  and  gave  a  $5  note  for  a  dozen  cigars. 

And  this  began  rapidly  to  be  the  tone,  everywhere  out  of  trade. 
A  vague  feeling  of  insecurity  about  the  power  of  the  Government 
to  check  the  onward  flood  of  issue  prevailed  in  all  classes.  This 
produced  a  reckless  expenditure  for  anything  tangible  and  portable. 
And  at  last  the  colonel's  prediction  was  verified ;  for  money  touched 
the  two  hundred  per  cent.,  and  went  up — up — by  the  one  hundred; 
until  in  a  time  incredibly  short — and  with  such  a  suddenness  that 
people  had  no  time  to  be  surprised — the  Confederate  treasury  note 
stood  still  for  a  moment,  worth  twenty  to  one  for  gold! 

This  may  be  accounted  for,  in  small  part,  by  the  scarcity  of 
supplies  and  the  increasing  efficiency  of  the  blockade.  But  it  must  be 
remembered  that  the  value  of  gold  remained  a  constant  quantity  and 
the  gold  dollar  in  Richmond,  note-flooded  and  blockade-bound,  bought 
more  of  almost  any  article  than  it  ever  had  before. 

With  a  string  of  active  vessels  watching  every  port  and  cove,  to 
snap  up  the  daring  ventures  between  the  island  ports  and  the  coast ; 
with  a  powerful  enemy  thundering  at  every  point  of  entrance  to 
southern  territory,  still  the  fortunate  man  who  had  gold,  or  who  could 
draw  upon  Europe,  or  the  North,  actually  lived  much  cheaper  than 
in  any  place  beyond  the  lines !  Singular  as  this  statement  may  ap- 
pear, it  is  actual  fact.  At  this  moment — before  the  depreciation  of 
currency  became  such  as  to  give  it  no  value  whatever — board  at 
the  best  hotels  in  Richmond  was  $20  per  day — equivalent  to 
$i  in  gold,  while  it  was  $3  in  New  York,  or  Washington;  a  suit  of 
clothes  could  be  had  for  $600  or  $30  in  gold,  while  in  New  York  it 
cost  from  $60  to  $80;  the  best  whisky  was  $25  per  gallon — $1.25  in 
gold,  while  in  the  North  it  was  more  than  double. 

Rapidly  gold  rose  in  the  market,  and  in  the  absence  of  stocks 
became  the  only  vehicle  for  financial  gambling.  From  time  to  time, 
as  a  brilliant  success  would  grace  Confederate  arms,  the  fall  of 


Four  Years  in  Rebel  Capitals.  233 

Treasury  credit  would  be  checked.  But  it  was  only  for  the  moment 
— and  it  went  down  steadily,  rapidly,  fatally.  And  as  steadily,  as 
rapidly  and  as  fatally  did  the  Treasury  shuttles  fly ;  spinning  out  the 
notes,  like  a  whirlwind  in  autumn.  And  tighter  grew  the  blockade, 
and  fewer  the  means  of  supply.  Stocks  on  hand  were  long  since 
gone;  little  came  to  replace  them,  and  the  rich  were  driven  to  great 
straits  to  live,  while  the  poor  almost  starved. 

Away  from  the  army  lines  and  great  centers  of  cities,  the  suffer- 
ing was  dreadful ;  impressments  stripped  the  impoverished  people ; 
conscription  turned  smiling  fields  into  desert  wastes ;  fire  and  sword 
ravaged  many  districts;  and  the  few  who  could  raise  the  great  bundle 
of  paper  necessary  to  buy  a  meal,  scarce  knew  where  to  turn  in  the 
general  desolation,  to  procure  it  even  then.  In  the  cities,  it  was  a 
little  better;  but  when  beef,  pork  and  butter  in  Richmond  reached 
$35  per  pound ;  when  common  cloth  was  $60  per  yard,  shoes  $200  to 
$800  per  pair,  and  a  barrel  of  flour  worth  $1,400,  it  became  a  difficult 
problem  to  fill  one's  stomach  at  any  outlay. 

And  all  this  time  the  soldiers  and  Government  employes  were 
being  paid  on  a  gold  basis.  The  private  received  eleven  (afterward 
twenty-one)  dollars  per  month — amounting  at  the  end  of  1863  to  just 
fifty-five  cents  in  coin!  At  the  last  payments,  before  the  final  actions  at 
Petersburg,  the  pay  of  a  private  for  one  month  was  thirty-three  cents  ! 

Nor  were  officers  of  the  army  and  navy  better  paid.  With  their 
rank  in  the  old  service  guaranteed  them,  they  also  received  about  the 
same  pay,  when  gold  and  paper  money  were  of  equal  value.  Later 
Congress  believed  it  would  be  a  derogation  from  its  dignity  to  "prac- 
tically reduce  the  value  of  its  issues,"  as  one  member  said,  "by 
raising  officers'  pay."  Thus  a  lieutenant  in  the  navy,  probably  of 
twenty  years'  experience,  and  with  a  family  dependent  upon  him, 
though  debarred  from  all  other  labor,  received  $1,500  per  year — 
equal  in  gold  to  the  sum  of  $4.25  per  month;  while  a  brigadier,  or 
other  higher  general,  received  nearly  $8  per  month. 

These  things  would  provoke  a  smile,  did  they  not  bring  with  them 
the  memory  of  the  anguished  struggle  to  fight  off  want  that  the  wives 
and  children  of  the  soldier  martyrs  made.  I  have  gone  into  detail 
further  than  space,  or  the  reader's  patience  may  warrant ;  and  still, 
"  Behold,  the  half  is  not  told!  " 

I  would  not,  if  I  could,  record  the  bitter  miseries  of  the  last 


234  Four  Years  in  Rebel  Capitals. 

dreadful  winter — paint  the  gaunt  and  ugly  outlines  of  womanhood, 
squalid,  famished,  dying — but  triumphant  still.  One  case  only  will 
tell  the  tale  for  all  the  rest.  A  poor,  fragile  creature,  still  girlish  and 
refined  under  the  pinched  and  pallid  features  of  starvation,  tottered 
to  me  one  day  to  beg  work. 

"It  is  life  or  death  for  me  and  four  young  children,"  she  said. 
' '  We  have  eaten  nothing  to-day ;  and  all  last  week  we  lived  on  three 
pints  of  rice  1 " 

Will  Wyatt,  who  was  near,  made  a  generous  offer  of  relief.  Tears 
sprang  into  the  woman's  eyes  as  she  answered,  "You  mean  kindness, 
major ;  but  I  have  never  asked  charity  yet.  My  husband  is  at  the 
front;  and  I  only  ask  a  right — to  be  allowed  to  work  for  my  chil- 
dren!" 

Such  were  the  sufferings,  such  the  spirit  of  southern  women ! 

When  it  was  too  late — when  the  headlong  road  to  ruin  had  been 
more  than  half-way  run — some  feeble  attempts  were  made  to  stay  the 
downward  rush.  Of  course,  they  were  useless — worse  than  useless, 
in  that  they  made  widespread  a  feeling  of  distrust,  already  deep- 
seated  with  reflecting  men.  The  volume  of  currency  had  reached 
such  expansion  that  its  value  was  merely  nominal  for  purposes  of 
subsistence,  when  the  devices  of  Mr.  Memminger  to  lessen  it  began 
to  be  pressed  in  earnest. 

The  people  had  now  begun  to  see  that  the  whole  theory  of  the 
Treasury  was  false ;  that  the  moment  for  utilizing  the  cotton  supply 
had  indeed  been  lost ;  and  they  murmured  loud  and  deep  against  the 
Secretary  and  the  President ;  whom  they  believed  not  only  retained 
him  in  office,  but  endorsed  his  destructive  policy.  Mr.  Davis,  the 
people  said,  was  autocratic  with  his  Cabinet,  and  would  have  displaced 
Mr.  Memminger  summarily,  had  he  not  favored  that  peculiar  financial 
system.  Mr.  Davis,  too,  was  known  to  have  been  hostile  to  the 
absorption  and  exportation  by  the  Government  of  all  the  cotton. 
He  had,  moreover,  recommended  against  any  legislation  by  Congress 
to  contract  the  currency  and  stop  the  issues.  Now,  therefore,  the 
inflation  and  utter  inadequacy  of  the  paper  money  was  laid  at  his 
door,  as  well  as  Mr.  Memminger's ;  and  the  people,  feeling  there  was 
no  safety  for  them,  began  to  distrust  the  good  faith  of  such  reckless 
issue.  A  system  of  barter  was  inaugurated  among  the  country  people; 
and  they  traded  off  things  only  needful  for  others  absolutely  essential. 


Four  Years  in  Rebel  Capitals.  235 

They  began  to  feel  a  dread  of  taking  the  notes  of  the  Government, 
and  in  many  instances  refused  them  utterly.  And  yet  these  very 
people  yielded  cheerfully  to  the  constantly  insolent,  and  not  infre- 
quently illegal,  demands  of  the  impressment  officers. 

In  the  cities,  too,  a  point  had  been  reached  where  the  promise  of 
the  Government  to  pay  was  looked  upon  as  a  bitter  joke.  Bonds 
were  constantly  refused  in  business  transactions,  and  only  Treasury 
notes — as  a  medium  of  temporary  exchange — were  accepted. 

Then,  as  a  necessary  measure,  came  the  imperative  order  for 
funding  the  currency.  All  the  millions  of  old  issues  were  to  be 
turned  into  the  treasury,  by  a  certain  date,  and  exchanged  for  bonds. 
If  the  unlucky  holder  could  not,  or  would  not,  deposit  or  exchange, 
he  lost  thirty-three  per  cent,  of  the  value  of  the  Government  pledge 
he  held.  The  old  issues  went  rapidly  out  of  sight ;  but  the  measure 
did  not  appreciably  lessen  the  current  medium,  while  it  did  very 
appreciably  lessen  the  confidence  in  the  integrity  of  the  Department. 

It  is  but  the  first  step  in  repudiation,  thought  the  people.  If  Gov- 
ernment will  on  any  pretext  ignore  one-third  of  its  obligation,  what 
guarantee  have  we  for  the  other  two?  And  so,  justly  or  unjustly, 
the  country  lost  all  faith  in  the  money.  Men  became  reckless  and 
paid  any  price  for  any  article  that  would  keep.  Tobacco — as  being 
the  most  compact  and  portable — was  the  favorite  investment;  but 
cotton,  real  estate,  merchandise — anything  but  the  paper  money,  was 
grasped  at  with  avidity. 

It  has  often  been  charged  that  speculators  ruined  the  currency. 
But,  to  give  the  children  of  the  devil  their  due — we  can  scarcely 
think  but  that  the  currency  made  the  speculators. 

Had  the  plain  system  been  adopted,  by  which  the  currency  dollar 
could  have  ever  approximated  to  coin,  it  would  have  been  simply 
impossible  for  the  holders  of  supplies  to  have  run  prices  up  to  extor- 
tionate figures.  Not  that  I  would  for  one  instant  excuse,  or  ask  any 
mercy  for,  those  unclean  vultures  who  preyed  upon  the  dead  credit 
of  their  Government ;  who  grew  fat  and  loathsome  while  they  battened 
on  the  miseries  of  the  brave,  true  men  who  battled  for  them  in  the 
front  ranks  of  the  fight.  But  while  the  fault  and  the  shame  is  theirs, 
it  may  not  be  disguised  that  the  door  was  not  only  left  open  for  their 
base  plundering,  but  in  many  cases  they  were  urged  toward  it  by  the 
very  hands  that  should  have  slammed  it  in  their  faces. 


236  Four  Years  in  Rebel  Capitals. 

When  we  come  to  consider  the  question  of  the  blockade,  we  may, 
perhaps,  see  this  more  clearly.  Meantime,  in  glancing  down  the  past 
by  the  light  of  experience,  one  can  not  but  marvel  at  the  rapid,  yet 
almost  imperceptible,  epidemic  that  fastened  incurably  upon  the  peo- 
ple, spreading  to  all  classes  and  sapping  the  very  foundations  of  their 
strength. 

In  the  beginning,  as  vast  crowds  poured  into  Richmond — each 
man  with  a  little  money  and  anxious  to  use  it  to  some  advantage — 
trade  put  on  a  new  and  holiday  dress.  Old  shops  were  spruced  up ; 
old  stocks,  by  aid  of  brushing  and  additions,  were  made  to  appear 
quite  salable  and  rapidly  ran  off.  The  demand  made  the  meat  it  fed 
upon,  until  stores,  shops  and  booths  sprang  up  in  all  parts  of  the  city 
and  on  all  the  roads  leading  into  it  from  the  camps.  Gradually — 
from  causes  already  noted — supplies  became  more  scarce  as  money 
became  more  plenty.  The  pinch  began  to  be  felt  by  many  who  had 
never  known  it  before ;  and  almost  every  one,  who  had  any  surplus 
portables,  was  willing  to  turn  them  into  money.  In  this  way,  those 
who  had  anything  to  sell,  for  the  time,  managed  to  live.  But  the 
unfortunates  who  had  only  what  they  needed  absolutely,  or  who  were 
forced  to  live  upon  a  fixed  stipend,  that  did  not  increase  in  any  ratio 
to  the  decrease  of  money,  suffered  terribly. 

These  were  only  too  ready  to  take  the  fever  of  speculation ;  and 
to  buy  any  small  lots  of  anything  whatever  that  might  sell  again  at  a 
profit.  .  This  was  the  class  from  which  the  main  body  of  amateur 
speculators  was  recruited.  One  successful  venture  led  to  another 
and  gave  added  means  for  it.  The  clerk,  or  the  soldier,  who  yester- 
day cleared  his  hundred  on  a  little  turn  in  whisky,  to-morrow  might 
hope  to  double  it — then  reinvest  his  principal  and  his  profits.  It 
was  marvelous  how  values  rose  over  night.  One  might  buy  any- 
thing, a  lot  of  flour — a  line  of  fruits — a  hogshead  of  molasses,  or  a 
case  of  boots  to-day,  with  almost  a  certainty  of  nearly  doubling  his 
outlay  to-day  week. 

The  ordinary  channels  of  trade  became  clogged  and  blocked  by 
its  constant  increase.  Auction  houses  became  the  means  of  broker- 
age ;  and  their  number  increased  to  such  an  extent  that  half  a  dozen 
red  flags  at  last  dotted  every  block  on  Main  street.  And  incon- 
gruous, indeed,  were  the  mixtures  exposed  at  these  sales,  as  well  as 
in  the  windows  of  the  smallest  shops  in  Richmond.  In  the  latter, 


Four  Years  in  Rebel  Capitals.  237 

bonnets  rested  on  the  sturdy  legs  of  cavalry  boots ;  rolls  of  ribbon 
were  festooned  along  the  crossed  barrel  of  a  rifle  and  the  dingy  cot- 
ton umbrella;  while  cartridges,  loaves  of  bread,  packages  of  grocer- 
ies, gloves,  letter  paper,  packs  of  cards,  prayer-books  and  canteens, 
jostled  each  other  in  admirable  confusion. 

At  these  auctions  there  was  utter  want  of  system.  Hogsheads  of 
prime  rum  would  be  put  up  after  kegs  of  spikes ;  a  case  of  organdies 
would  follow  a  good  cavalry  horse ;  and  then  might  come  four  sec- 
ond-hand feather-beds  and  a  hundred  boarding  cutlasses. 

But  everything  soever  found  a  purchaser ;  some  because  they  were 
absolutely  needed  and  the  buyer  dreaded  waiting  the  next  week's 
rise ;  the  majority  to  sell  again  in  this  insane  game  of  money-making. 

But  varied  as  were  the  motives  for  speculation,  the  principal 
ones  were  breadstuffs  and  absolute  necessities  of  life ;  and  while  the 
minor  speculators — the  amateurs — purchased  for  quick  profits — the 
professional  vultures  bought  for  great  ones  and  could  afford  to  wait. 

The  first  class  reached  into  every  rank  of  society;  the  second 
were  principally  Yankee  residents — caught  in  Richmond  by  the  war, 
or  remaining  for  the  sole  purpose  of  making  it  pay — and  a  smaller 
class  of  the  lowest  Polish  Jews.  Ishmaels  both,  owning  no  kinship 
and  no  country,  their  sole  hope  was  gain — gain  at  the  cost  of  repu- 
tation and  credit  themselves — gain  even  at  the  cost  of  torture  and 
starvation  to  the  whole  South  beside.  These  it  was  who  could  afford 
to  buy  in  bulk ;  then  aid  the  rise  they  knew  must  come  inexorably, 
by  hoarding  up  great  quantities  of  flour,  bacon,  beef  and  salt. 

It  mattered  not  for  themselves  who.  suffered — who  starved.  It 
mattered  not  if  the  noble  fellows  at  the  front  lived  on  a  scant  handful 
of  cornmeal  per  day — if  starving  men  died  before  the  works  they 
were  too  weak  to  mount — if  ghastly  objects  in  hospital  and  trench 
literally  perished,  while  their  storehouses  burst  with  food — waiting  for 
a  rise ! 

It  is  too  ugly  a  picture  to  dwell  upon.  Suffice  it  that  the  human 
hyenas  of  speculation  did  prey  upon  the  dying  South ;  that  they 
locked  up  her  salt  while  the  men  in  the  trenches  perished  for  it ;  that 
thrice  they  stored  the  flour  the  people  felt  was  theirs,  in  such  quantities 
and  for  so  long,  that  before  their  maw  for  gain  was  glutted,  serious 
riots  of  the  starving  called  for  the  strong  hand  to  interfere.  And  to 
the  credit  of  Government  and  southern  soldier,  be  it  said — even  in 


238  Four  Years  in  Rebel  Capitals. 

that  dark  hour,  with  craving  stomach  and  sickening  soul — "Johnny 
Reb  "  obeyed  his  orders  and  guarded  the  den  of  the  hyena — from  his 
own  hungering  children,  perhaps ! 

No  weak  words  of  mine  may  paint  the  baseness  and  infamy  of  the 
vultures  of  the  market.  Only  a  Dor6,  with  a  picture  like  his  Frozen 
Hell,  or  Ugolino — might  give  it  faint  ideal. 

And  with  the  feeling  how  valueless  was  the  money,  came  another 
epidemic — not  so  widespread,  perhaps,  as  the  speculation  fever;  but 
equally  fatal  to  those  who  caught  it — the  rage  for  gambling ! 

Impulsive  by  nature,  living  in  an  atmosphere  of  constant  and  in- 
creasing artificial  excitement,  feeling  that  the  money  worth  little  to- 
day, perhaps,  would  be  worth  nothing  to-morrow — the  men  of  the 
South  gambled  heavily,  recklessly  and  openly.  There  was  no  shame 
— little  concealment  about  it.  The  money  was  theirs,  they  argued, 
and  mighty  hardly  earned,  too.  They  were  cut  off  from  home  ties 
and  home  amusements;  led  the  life  of  dumb  beasts  in  camp;  and, 
.  when  they  came  to  town — ho  !  for  "  the  tiger." 

Whether  these  reasons  be  valid  or  not,  such  they  were.  And 
really  to  the  camp-wearied  and  battle-worn  officer,  the  saloon  of  the 
fashionable  Richmond  "hell"  was  a  thing  of  beauty.  Its  luxurious 
furniture,  soft  lights,  obsequious  servants  and  lavish  store  of  such 
wines  and  liquors  and  cigars  as  could  be  had  nowhere  else  in  Dixie — 
these  were  only  part  of  the  inducement.  Excitement  did  the  rest, 
leaving  out  utterly  the  vulgar  one  of  possible  gain,  so  rarely  did  that 
obtain.  But  in  these  faro-banks  collected  the  leading  men,  resident 
and  alien,  of  the  Capital.  Senators,  soldiers  and  the  learned  profes- 
sions sat  elbow  to  elbow,  round  the  generous  table  that  offered  choicest 
viands  money  could  procure.  In  the  handsome  rooms  above  they 
puffed  fragrant  and  real  Havanas,  while  the  latest  developments  of 
news,  strategy  and  policy  were  discussed ;  sometimes  ably,  sometimes 
flippantly,  but  always  freshly.  Here  men  who  had  been  riding  raids 
in  the  mountains  of  the  West ;  had  lain  shut  up  in  the  water  batteries 
of  the  Mississippi ;  or  had  faced  the  advance  of  the  many  "  On-to- 
Richmonds  " — met  after  long  separation.  Here  the  wondering  young 
cadet  would  look  first  upon  some  noted  raider,  or  some  gallant 
brigadier — cool  and  invincible  amid  the  rattle  of  Minie-balls,  as  reck- 
less but  conquerable  amid  the  rattle  of  ivory  chips. 

So  the  faro-banks  flourished  and  the  gamblers  waxed  fat  like 


Four  Years  in  Rebel  Capitals.  239 

Jeshurun,  the  ass,  and  kicked  never  so  boldly  at  the  conscript  man. 
Nor  were  they  all  of  ignoble  memory.  There  is  more  than  one 
"sport"  in  the  South  to-day,  who  made  warm  and  real  friends  of 
high  position  from  his  acts  of  real  generosity  then. 

Whatever  may  be  the  vices  of  gamblers  as  a  class,  many  a  soldier- 
boy  will  bear  witness  to  the  exception  that  proves  the  rule.  One  of 
the  "hells"  at  least  was  a  home  for  the  refugee;  and  whether  the 
Maryland  soldier  came  dirty,  and  hungry  and  ragged  from  camp,  with 
never  a  "stamp"  in  his  pocket;  whether  he  came  wearied  and  worn, 
but  "full  of  greenbacks,"  from  a  trip  across  the  lines — the  post  of 
honor  at  the  table,  the  most  cordial  welcome  and  most  generous  glass 
of  wine  were  ever  his. 

However  the  holy  may  be  horrified — however  the  princely  specu- 
lator may  turn  up  his  keen-scented  nose,  I  here  record  that,  during 
the  four  years  of  dark  and  bloody  war — of  pinching  want  and  bitter 
trial,  there  was  no  more  generous,  free-hearted  and  delicate  aid  given 
to'  the  suffering  soldier-boy,  than  came  from  the  hand  of  the  Balti- 
more faro-banker. 

So  in  Richmond  high  and  low  gambled — some  lightly  for  excite- 
ment's sake — some  dashingly  and  brilliantly — a  few  sullenly  and  dog- 
gedly going  in  to  gain.  Few  got  badly  hurt,  getting  more  in  equiva- 
lent of  wines,  cigars  and  jolly  dinners  than  they  gave.  They  looked 
upon  the  ' '  hell "  as  a  club — and  as  such  used  it  freely,  spending  what 
they  had  and  whistling  over  their  losses.  When  they  had  money  to 
spare  they  played ;  when  they  had  no  money  to  spare — or  otherwise 
— they  smoked  their  cigars,  drank  their  toddies  and  met  their  friends 
in  chaff  and  gossip,  with  no  more  idea  that  there  was  a  moral  or  social 
wrong  than  if  they  had  been  at  the  "Manhattan"  or  the  "Pick- 
wick "  of  to-day. 

I  do  not  pretend  to  defend  the  habit ;  but  such  it  was,  and  such 
all  the  men  who  remember  the  Capital  will  recognize  it. 

Of  that  other  class,  who  "went  in  for  blood  " — some  got  badly 
hurt  in  reputation  and  in  pocket.  But  the  dead  cause  has  buried  its 
dead ;  and  their  errors — the  result  of  an  overstrained  state  of  society 
and  indubitably  of  a  false  money-system — "hurt  no  one  but  them- 
selves. 

And  so,  with  the  enemy  thundering  at  the  gates ;  with  the  echoed 
wJwo !  of  the  great  shells  almost  sounding  in  the  streets ;  and  with  the 


240  Four  Years  in  Rebel  Capitals. 

ill-provided  army  staggering  under  the  burthen  of  defense — almost  too 
heavy  for  it  to  bear — the  finances  of  the  Confederacy  went  from  bad 
to  worse — to  nothing ! 

The  cotton  that  the  alchemy  of  genius,  or  even  of  business  tact — 
might  have  transmuted  into  gold,  rotted  useless ;  or  worse,  as  a  bait 
for  the  raider.  The  notes,  that  might  have  been  a  worthy  pledge  of 
governmental  faith,  bore  no  meaning  now  upon  their  face ;  and  the 
soldier  in  the  trench  and  the  family  at  the  desolate  fireside — who 
might  have  been  comfortably  fed  and  clad — were  gnawed  with  very 
hunger !  And  when  the  people  murmured  too  loudly,  a  change  was 
made  in  men,  if  not  in  policy. 

Even  if  Mr.  Trenholm  had  the  ability,  he  had  no  opportunity  to 
prove  it.  The  evil  seed  had  been  sown  and  the  bitter  fruit  had 
grown  apace.  Confederate  credit  was  dead ! 

Even  its  own  people  had  no  more  faith  in  the  issues  of  their  gov- 
ernment ;  and  they  hesitated  not — even  while  they  groped  on,  ever 
on  to  the  darkness  coming  faster  and  faster  down  upon  them — to  de- 
clare that  the  cause  of  their  trouble  was  Mr.  Memminger;  with  the 
President  behind  him. 

But,  though  the  people  saw  the  mismanagement  and  felt  its  cause 
— though  they  suffered  from  it  as  never  nation  suffered  before — 
though  they  spoke  always  bitterly  and  often  hotly  of  it ;  still,  in  their 
greatest  straits  and  in  their  darkest  hours,  no  southern  man  ever 
deemed  it  but  mismanagement. 

The  wildest  and  most  reckless  slanderer  could  never  hint  that  one 
shred  of  all  the  flood  of  paper  was  ever  diverted  from  its  proper  chan- 
nel by  the  Secretary ;  or  that  he  had  not  worked  brain  and  body  to 
the  utmost,  in  the  unequal  struggle  to  subdue  the  monster  he  had 
created. 


Four  Years  in  Rebel  Capitals.  24 J 


CHAPTER  XXVIII. 

ACROSS  THE   POTOMAC   AND   BACK. 

Of  such  vast  import  to  the  southern  cause  was  Lee's  first  aggres- 
sive campaign  in  Maryland ;  so  vital  was  its  need  believed  to  be,  by 
the  people  of  the  South ;  so  varied  and  warm  was  their  discussion  of  it 
that  it  may  seem  proper  to  give  that  advance  more  detailed  consider- 
ation. 

Imperfect  and  inadequate  as  such  a  sketch  must  be,  to  the  soldier, 
it  may  still  convey  in  some  sort,  the  ideas  of  the  southern  people 
upon  a  momentous  question. 

Coincident  with  the  evacuation  of  the  Peninsula  by  the  Federals 
was  General  Lee's  movement,  to  throw  beyond  the  Rapidan  a  force 
sufficient  to  prevent  Pope's  passage  of  that  river.  After  Cedar 
Mountain,  Jackson  had  disappeared  as  if  the  earth  had  swallowed  him 
up.  It  was  believed  in  the  North  that  the  advance  of  Pope's  masses 
had  cut  him  off  from  the  main  army  and  locked  him  up  in  the  Shen- 
andoah  Valley;  while  the  South — equally  ignorant  of  his  designs  and 
confident  of  their  success — rested  on  the  rumor  that  he  had  said : 

"  Send  me  more  men  and  no  orders  ! " 

Suddenly  a  beacon  flashed  into  the  sky,  telling  in  the  flames 
from  the  depots  at  Manassas  and  Bristow  Stations  that  the  famous 
passage  of  Thoroughfare  Gap  had  been  made — millions  of  property, 
stores  and  rolling-stock  given  to  feed  the  flames.  Jackson  was  in 
Pope's  rear ! 

This  Confederate  corps  now  fronted  toward  the  main  army  of 
Lee,  and  the  bragging  Federal  found  himself  between  the  upper  and 
nether  millstones.  Still  he  had  little  doubt  that  he  could  turn  upon 
the  small  force  of  Jackson  and  crush  it  before  Lee  could  advance  to 
his  rescue.  Following  this  plan,  and  depending  also  upon  the  heavy 
masses  Burnside  was  bringing  down  to  him  from  Fredericksburg,  Pope 
attacked  Jackson  in  detail  at  Bristow  and  at  Manassas,  with  no  other 
effect  than  to  be  repulsed  heavily  in  both  instances. 
16 


242  Foiir  Years  in  Rebel  Capitals. 

The  attack,  however,  warned  Jackson  of  the  enemy's  purpose  and 
of  his  own  critical  position;  and,  on  the  night  of  August  28th,  he 
made  a  masterly  flank  movement  that  put  him  in  possession  of  the 
old  battle-field  of  Manassas  plains ;  at  the  same  time  opening  his 
communications  with  Lee's  advance. 

In  all  this,  General  Stuart  gave  most  efficient  aid  both  in  beating 
back  heavy  attacks  of  the  enemy's  cavalry,  and  in  keeping  Jackson  ad- 
vised of  the  course  of  Pope's  retreat — or  advance,  as  it  might  be 
called — from  Warrenton  to  Manassas. 

By  the  2pth  of  August,  Longstreet's  corps  had  effected  the  pas- 
sage of  Thoroughfare  Gap  and  united  with  Jackson ;  and  on  that  day 
these  corps  engaged  with  Pope's  advance  in  a  terrific  fight,  lasting 
from  midday  till  dark — the  prelude  to  the  great  drama  that  was  next 
day  to  deluge  the  field  of  Manassas  a  second  time  with  the  blood  of 
friend  and  foe. 

Before  daylight  next  morning,  the  cannon  again  woke  the  wearied 
and  battle-worn  ranks,  sleeping  on  their  arms  on  the  field  they  had 
won ;  and  sent  a  fresh  impulse  to  the  hearts  of  their  brothers,  toiling 
steadily  on  to  join  them  in  the  great  fight  to  come.  Heavy  firing 
and  sharp  skirmishing  for  position  filled  the  forenoon ;  but  then  the 
masses  of  hostile  infantry  joined  in  the  shock  of  battle,  more  terrible 
than  the  one  of  the  year  before.  The  men  were  more  disciplined 
and  hardened  on  both  sides;  and  the  Federal  leaders,  feeling  that 
their  only  hope  lay  in  victory  now,  hurled  brigade  after  brigade 
against  the  now  vindictive  and  battle-thirsty  Confederates. 

Line  after  line  emerges  from  enveloping  clouds  of  smoke,  charg- 
ing the  fronts  that  Longstreet  and  Jackson  steadily  oppose  to  them. 
Line  after  line  melts  before  that  inevitable  hail,  rolling  back  scattered 
and  impotent  as  the  spume  the  angry  ocean  throws  against  a  granite 
headland ! 

Broken  again  and  again,  the  Federals,  with  desperate  gallantry, 
hurl  against  the  unflinching  crescent  that  pours  its  ceaseless  rain  of 
fire  through  them ;  while  the  great  guns  behind  its  center  thunder 

and  roll 

"In  the  very  glee  of  war," 

sending  death-winged  bolts  tearing  and  crushing  through  them. 

Through  the  carnival  of  death  Hood  has  sent  his  Texans  and 
Georgians  at  a  run — their  wild  yells  rending  the  dull  roar  of  the  fight  j 


Four  Years  in  Rebel  Capitals.  243 

their  bayonets  flashing  in  a  jagged  line  of  light  like  hungry  teeth ! 
Jackson  has  swung  gradually  round  the  enemy's  right ;  and  Stephen 
Lee's  artillery  has  advanced  from  the  center — ever  tearing  and  crash- 
ing through  the  Federal  ranks,  scattering  terror  and  death  in  its  un- 
swerving path ! 

The  slaughter  has  been  terrific.  Federal  and  Southron  have  fought 
well  and  long.  Piles  of  mangled  and  gory  dead  lie  so  mingled  that 
•gray  and  blue  are  undistinguished.  But  the  wild  impetuosity  of  the 
* '  ragged  rebels  " — nerved  by  the  memories  of  this  field's  old  glories 
— toned  up  by  the  Seven  Days,  and  delirious  with  the  glow  of  present 
victory — sweeps  the  Federal  back  and  doubles  his  line.  It  breaks — 
fresh  regiments  pour  in  with  deadly  shot  and  fearful  yell ;  the  Fede- 
ral line  melts  into  confusion — rout !  and  the  Second  Manassas  is  won. 

The  victory  was  as  complete  as  that  of  the  year  before;  an  abso- 
lute rout  was  only  saved  the  Federals  by  falling  back  to  the  reserve 
under  Franklin,  when  the  retreat  became  more  orderly,  as  there  was 
no  pursuit. 

The  solid  fruits  of  the  victory  were  the  annihilation  of  all  the  plans 
of  the  gong-sounder,  and  the  complete  destruction  of  the  new  "On- 
to-Richmond;"  the  capture  of  over  7,000  prisoners — paroled  on 
the  field — and  his  admitted  total  loss  of  28,000  men. 

New  glories,  too,  shone  around  the  names  of  Lee,  Jackson,  Long- 
street,  Hood,  Kemper  and  Jenkins;  and  the  efficient  aid  and  splen- 
did fighting  of  the  cavalry  of  Stuart,  Hampton  and  Bev  Robinson, 
here  proved  that  arm  to  have  reached  its  point  of  highest  efficiency. 

The  heart  of  the  South,  still  throbbing  with  triumph  after  the 
Seven  Days  and  their  bright  corollary  of  Cedar  Mountain,  went  up 
in  one  wild  throb  of  joyous  thanksgiving.  So  satisfied  were  the 
people  of  the  sagacity  of  their  leaders  and  the  invincible  valor  of 
their  troops ;  so  carried  away  were  they  by  the  splendid  reflection 
from  the  glory  over  Manassas  plain — that  this  time  they  never  even 
stopped  to  question  why  there  had  been  no  pursuit ;  why  the  broken 
enemy  had  not  been  completely  crushed.  All  they  felt  was  that 
Virginia  was  free  from  the  invader.  For  General  Loring,  in  the 
Kanawha,  had  driven  the  enemy  before  him  and  entirely  cleared  that 
portion  of  the  state;  while  on  this  line  he  was  hastening  rapidly 
back  to  Washington  to  meet  the  expected  advance  of  Lee  toward  the 
Capital. 


244  Four  Years  in  Rebel  Capitals. 

Without  resting  his  army,  the  latter  divided  it  into  three  corps, 
under  command  of  Jackson,  Longstreet  and  A.  P.  Hill;  and  moved 
rapidly  toward  the  accomplishment  of  that  cherished  hope  of  the 
southern  people — an  offensive  campaign  on  the  enemy's  soil. 

Jackson  passed  with  his  accustomed  swiftness  to  the  occupation  of 
the  heights  commanding  Harper's  Ferry  and  to  the  investment  of  that 
position ;  while  the  other  corps  moved  to  the  river  at  different  points, 
to  cut  off  the  re-enforcements  the  alarmed  Federals  might  send  to  its 
rescue.  Great  was  the  alarm  and  intense  the  excitement  at  Washing- 
ton. The  sudden  turn  of  the  tables — the  cold  dash  to  hopes  that  the 
bragging  of  their  new  hero  had  raised  to  fever  heat,  and  the  trans- 
formation of  the  crushed  rebel  into  an  avenging  invader,  created 
equal  surprise  as  panic.  Pope  summarily  dropped  from  the  pin- 
nacle of  public  favor  into  disgrace ;  and  McClellan  was  the  only 
mainstay  the  Federal  Government  could  fall  back  on,  to  check  the 
victorious  Lee. 

Meanwhile,  equal  excitement  reigned  in  the  Rebel  Capital,  but  it 
was  joyous  and  triumphant.  The  people  had  long  panted  to  see  the 
theater  of  blood  and  strife  transferred  to  the  prosperous  and  peaceful 
fields  of  their  enemy.  They  had  a  secure  feeling  that  when  these 
were  torn  with  shell  and  drenched  with  carnage;  when  barns  were 
rifled  and  crops  trampled  by  hostile  feet,  the  northern  people  would 
begin  to  appfeciate  the  realities  of  a  war  they  had  so  far  only  seen 
by  the  roseate  light  of  a  partial  press.  Secure  and  confident  in  the 
army  that  was  to  work  their  oracle,  the  hope  of  the  South  already 
drew  triumphant  pictures  of  defeated  armies,  harassed  states,  and 
a  peace  dictated  from  the  Federal  Capital. 

On  the  i4th  of  September,  D.  H.  Hill,  of  Longstreet's  corps — 
stationed  at  Boonesboro  to  protect  Jackson's  flank — was  attacked  by 
a  heavy  force.  Heavily  outnumbered,  Hill  fought  a  dogged  and  ob- 
stinate battle — giving  and  taking  terrific  blows,  only  ceasing  when 
night  stopped  the  fight.  It  was  hard  to  tell  which  side  had  the  best 
of  the  actual  fighting ;  but  the  great  object  was  gained  and  the  next  day 
Harper's  Ferry,  with  its  heavy  garrison  and  immense  supply  of  arms, 
stores  and  munitions,  was  surrendered  to  Jackson. 

Great  was  the  joy  in  Richmond  when  the  news  of  the  brilliant 
fight  at  Boonesboro — the  first  passage  of  arms  on  Maryland  soil — 
and  of  the  capture  of  the  great  arsenal  of  the  North  reached  her  anx- 


Four  Years  in  Rebel  Capitals.  245 

ious  people.  It  was,  they  felt,  but  the  presage  of  the  great  and  sub- 
stantial triumphs  that  Lee  and  his  veterans  must  win.  Higher  rose 
their  confidence  and  more  secure  became  their  calculations ;  and  the 
vivid  contrast  between  the  ragged,  shoeless  and  incongruous  army  of 
the  South  with  the  sleek,  spruce  garrison  surrendered  to  them,  only 
heightened  the  zest  of  the  victory  and  the  anticipation  of  those  to 
follow. 

But  a  sudden  check  was  to  come  to  this  mid-career  of  anticipation, 
and  a  pall  of  doubt  and  dismay  was  to  drape  the  fair  form  of  Hope, 
even  in  her  infancy. 

Two  days  after  the  fall  of  Harper's  Ferry— on  the  iyth  of  Septem- 
ber— Lee  had  massed  some  35,000  men  on  the  banks  of  the  Antie- 
tam,  near  Sharpsburg — a  village  ten  miles  north-east  of  Harper's 
Ferry.  McClellan,  pressing  him  hard  with  an  army  four  times  his 
own  numbers — composed  in  part  of  raw  levies  and  hastily-massed 
militia,  and  in  part  of  the  veterans  of  the  armies  of  the  Potomac — 
seemed  determined  on  battle.  Trusting  in  the  valor  and  reliability 
of  his  troops,  and  feeling  the  weakness  of  being  pressed  by  an  enemy 
he  might  chastise,  the  southern  chief  calmly  awaited  the  attack — send- 
ing couriers  to  hasten  the  advance  of  A.  P.  Hill,  Walker  and  McLaws, 
whose  divisions  had  not  yet  come  up. 

Ushered  in  by  a  heavy  attack  the  evening  before — which  was 
heavily  repulsed — the  morning  of  the  i7th  saw  one  of  the  bloodiest 
and  most  desperate  fights  in  all  the  horrid  records  of  that  war.  Hurl- 
ing his  immense  masses  against  the  rapidly  dwindling  Confederate 
line,  only  to  see  them  reel  back  shattered  and  broken — McClellan 
strove  to  crush  his  adversary  by  sheer  strength.  No  sooner  would 
one  attacking  column  waver,  break,  retreat — leaving  a  writhing  and 
ghastly  wake  behind  it — than  a  fresh  host  would  hurl  against  the  ada- 
mantine line  that  sunk  and  shriveled  under  the  resistless  fire,  but 
never  wavered.  In  all  the  fearful  carnage  of  the  war — whether  re- 
sulting in  gloom,  like  that  of  Corinth,  or  purchasing  brilliant  victory 
with  precious  blood — men  never  fought  better  than  did  that  battle- 
torn,  service-worn  handful  that  had  just  saved  Richmond — broken 
the  glittering,  brazen  vessel  of  destruction ;  and  now  sent  its  defiant 
yell  through  hostile  mountains. 

All  that  valor  and  endurance  could  do  had  been  done ;  and  at 
mid-afternoon  the  battle  seemed  well-nigh  lost.  Just  then  the  missing 


246  Four  Years  in  Rebel  Capitals. 

divisions — some  12,000  men — reached  the  field.  Wearied,  unfed  and 
footsore,  they  were;  but  the  scent  of  battle  rested  and  refreshed 
them  as  they  went  into  the  thickest  of  the  fight.  But  even  they 
could  not  save  the  day.  Outnumbered  and  shattered,  but  uncon- 
quered  still,  the  Confederates  could  not  advance  from  the  field  they 
had  held  at  such  bitter  cost.  And  when  night  stopped  the  aimless 
carnage,  each  army,  too  crippled  to  renew  the  fight,  withdrew  to- 
ward its  base.  McClellan  could  not  pursue ;  and  the  Confederates; 
fell  back  doggedly,  sullenly,  and  recrossed  into  Virginia. 

As  usual  in  the  North,  a  wild  howl  went  up  against  McClellan. 
In  response  to  this  brutum  fulmen^  he  was  promptly  removed  by  Hal- 
leek,  for  not  conquering  an  army  that  had  proved  itself  invincible ! 

Bitter  indeed  was  the  hour  that  brought  to  Richmond  the  story  of 
Sharpsburg.  Flushed  with  hope,  undoubting  of  triumph,  her  citizens 
only  listened  for  the  wild  cheer  that  would  echo  back  from  conquered 
Washington.  But  the  sound  that  reached  their  ears  was  the  menac- 
ing roar  from  retreating  ranks  that  left  near  one-third  their  number 
stark  and  ghastly  on  that  grim  field,  where  the  Death  Angel  has  so> 
darkly  flapped  his  wings. 

Thus  ended  the  first  Maryland  campaign. 

It  had  given  the  people  their  wish  ;  it  had  carried  the  gray  jackets 
over  the  border  and  stricken  the  enemy  sorely  on  his  own  soil.  But 
it  had  left  that  soil  drenched  with  the  blood  of  some  of  the  bravest 
and  best ;  the  noble  Branch  and  chivalric  Starke  had  both  fallen  where 
their  men  lay  thickest — torn  and  ghastly  on  that  terrible  field. 

The  details  of  that  field  which  the  Richmond  people  gathered 
from  the  northern  papers,  deepened  their  gloom.  And  through  it 
rose  a  hoarse  whisper,  swelling  at  last  into  angry  query,  why  had  the 
campaign  miscarried?  If  the  army  was  inadequate  in  numbers,  why 
had  General  Lee  carried  it  over  that  river  he  had  never  crossed  be- 
fore, when  his  own  army  was  better  and  the  enemy  less  prepared  ? 
And  if,  as  stated,  the  men  were  ill-provided  in  munitions  and  trans- 
portation— as  they  were  known  to  be  with  clothes  and  rations — why 
had  Government  forced  its  only  bulwark  well-nigh  to  annihilation  ? 

It  mattered  little,  the  people  said,  that  the  results  had  been  far 
more  disastrous  to  the  North  than  to  the  South — both  in  prestige  and 
loss.  The  North  could  far  better  afford  it.  What  was  the  killing  of 
a  few  thousand  raw  troops,  or  the  destruction  of  a  few  thousand  stand 


Four  Years  in  Rebel  Capitals.  247 

of  arms,  compared  to  the  precious  cost  of  holding  the  field  at  Sharps- 
burg? 

And  gradually  these  complaints,  as  in  all  such  cases,  answered 
themselves ;  and  then  the  vials  of  southern  wrath  began  to  empty 
over  the  unfortunate  Marylanders,  who  had  not  risen  to  aid  their 
brothers  in  their  sore  need.  How  unjust  were  these  charges  will 
soon  be  shown. 

And  so  the  people  murmured  to  relieve  their  overfull  hearts,  until 
the  calm  and  steady  course  of  the  general  they  had  never  doubted, 
quieted  them  once  more. 

The  outcry  in  the  North  resulted  in  the  choice  of  General  A.  E. 
Burn  side  to  command  the  new  invasion ;  and  he  was  of  course  hailed 
as  the  augur,  who  was  surely  this  time  to  read  the  oracle.  Watchful, 
calm,  and  steadfast,  the  Confederate  waited,  through  the  months  of 
preparation,  to  meet  the  new  advance — so  disposing  part  of  his  force 
about  Winchester  as  to  prevent  the  favorite  Valley-road  On-to-Rich- 
mond.  With  a  renewed,  and  splendidly  appointed,  army,  Burnside 
moved  in  November  toward  Fredericksburg ;  thinking  that  this  time  he 
had  really  gotten  between  Lee  and  Richmond. 

What  was  his  disgust  to  find,  when  he  reached  the  Rappahannock, 
that  the  Confederate  army  was  not  all  at  Winchester,  but  was  before 
him  to  dispute  his  crossing.  After  some  unavailing  maneuvers  for 
position,  the  Federals  sat  down  on  the  heights  of  Stafford,  opposite 
Fredericksburg ;  made  works  at  their  leisure ;  and  spread  a  perfect 
city  of  tents  and  booths  over  a  line  of  some  five  miles.  Outnumbered 
as  he  was,  General  Lee  could  do  nothing  but  watch  and  wait  for  the 
crossing  that  must  come,  sooner  or  later;  and  meantime  he  chose  his 
line  of  battle. 

Just  back  of  Fredericksburg,  stretching  some  two  miles  south- 
ward, is  a  semi-circular  plain  bordered  by  a  range  of  hills.  These 
stretch  from  Hamilton's  crossing  beyond  Mayre's  Hill  on  the  left ;, 
and  are  covered  with  dense  oak  growth  and  a  straggling  fringe  of 
pines.  On  these  hills,  Lee  massed  his  artillery,  to  sweep  the  \vtfiole 
plain  where  the  enemy  must  form,  after  his  crossing ;  and  arranged 
his  line  of  battle,  with  A.  P.  Hill  holding  the  right  and  Longstreet  the 
left.  On  the  night  of  December  loth,  Stafford  Heights  opened  a 
furious  bombardment  of  the  town,  tearing  great  gaps  through  the 
thickest  populated  quarters. 

Into  the  bitter  winter  night  tender  women  and  young  children  were 


248  Four  Years  in  Rebel  Capitals. 

driven,  shivering  with  fright  and  cold,  half  clad;  seeking  safety  from 
the  screaming  shells  that  chased  them  everywhere.  Under  this  bom- 
bardment, the  pioneers  commenced  their  pontoons  at  three  points. 
The  storm  of  grape  and  canister  was  too  great  to  contest  the  landing, 
which  was  effected  next  day. 

As  the  heavy  fog  that  had  obscured  the  sun  cleared  away,  the  reg- 
ular lines  of  the  Federals  advanced  to  the  attack,  raked  and  torn  by 
batteries.  Broken,  they  were  formed  again,  only  to  be  mowed  down 
afresh ;  while  the  scream  of  a  thousand  shells  from  Stafford  filled  the 
air  with  a  continuous  whoo,  amid  which  the  rattle  of  southern 
musketry  sang  ever  fiercer  and  swifter.  Then  dark  masses  of  blue 
came  out  of  the  town  and  formed  for  the  charge,  under  a  terrific  fire 
from  the  Washington  Artillery  on  Mayre's  Hill.  Steadily  and  fear- 
lessly did  Meagher's  First  Brigade  move  to  the  attack.  Crowded 
into  the  narrow  road,  swept  by  the  accurate  fire  of  the  Louisianians 
and  McLaws'  veterans — the  head  of  the  column  went  down,  only  to 
be  filled  by  the  gallant  fellows  behind.  Into  the  jaws  of  death  they 
came,  up  to  the  very  works — then,  with  half  their  number  dead  and 
dying  about  their  feet,  they  broke,  the  left  gave  way — and  the  bloody 
field  was  won  at  all  points.  The  victory  was  terrible  and  complete. 

But  it  had  cost  dear,  and  the  rejoicing  in  Richmond  was  tempered 
with  sorrow  for  the  loss  of  such  as  Maxcy  Gregg,  Cobb,  and  many 
others,  lying  cold  upon  the  field  of  victory. 

And  with  the  first  feeling  of  triumph  the  news  brought,  came  the 
thought  that  this  time  surely  the  enemy  would  be  pushed — this  time 
he  was  indeed  a  prey !  Broken  and  demoralized,  with  a  deep  river 
in  his  rear  that  he  must  cross  in  pontoons,  the  people  felt  that  he  could 
surely  be  destroyed  before  reaching  his  Stafford  stronghold.  But 
once  again,  as  ever,  the  shattered  and  broken  legions  of  Burnside 
were  allowed  two  days  to  recover  from  their  demoralization ;  to  pass 
at  leisure,  over  the  trap  behind  them. 

Great  was  the  amaze,  bitter  the  disappointment  of  the  people;  and 
the  inquiry  how  and  why  this  had  been  done,  became  universal.  But 
the  southern  people  above  every  other  feeling  had  now  come  to 
cherish  a  perfect  and  unquestioning  faith  in  General  Lee ;  and  even 
while  they  wondered  at  a  policy  that  invariably  left  a  beaten  enemy 
to  recover,  and  only  become  stronger — still  they  questioned  with  a 
firm  reliance  that  there  must  be  some  reason,  invisible  to  them  but 
good  and  potent  still. 


Four  Years  in  Rebel  Capitals.  249 

There  were  no  active  operations  immediately  succeeding  Fredericks- 
burg.  Picket  fighting ;  cavalry  skirmishes,  severe  but  fruitless  ;  and 
temporary  raids  of  the  enemy  to  devastate  tke  country  around  the 
rear  of  their  army,  and  to  penetrate  into  that  beyond  their  lines, 
occupying  the  winter  and  early  spring.  But  there  was  full  leisure 
for  the  people  to  look  upon  the  ugliest  features  of  the  war.  Fred- 
ericksburg  was  a  ruin,  riddled  with  shot  and  shell,  tenanted  only  by 
the  poorest  classes.  Her  once  cheerful  and  elegant  population  were 
ruined  and  starving  refugees  in  Richmond;  the  smiling  tracts  stretch- 
ing back  to  the  Potomac  were  one  broad,  houseless  waste — browned 
by  fire,  and  cut  with  the  winding  wagon-roads  of  the  enemy.  Con- 
stant incursions  of  his  cavalry — for  "raiding"  had  now  become 
a  feature  of  the  war — harassed  the  people,  everywhere  removed  from 
the  immediate  army  lines.  These  slaughtered  and  drove  off  their 
cattle,  stole  and  consumed  their  supplies,  burned  their  barns,  and  de- 
stroyed their  farming  utensils  1 — a  refinement  of  barbarity  to  non-com- 
batants, never  before  practiced  by  a  civilized  race. 

Then,  too,  the  news  from  the  West,  heretofore  sketched,  reacted 
on  Richmond;  and  the  gloom  in  the  Capital  grew  deep  and  universal. 
Burnside  had,  meantime,  been  dismissed  in  disgrace  for  his  shame- 
ful failure.  The  inevitable  howl  had  again  gone  up  in  the  North ; 
then  the  inevitable  result  had  come.  Joseph  Hooker  was  now  the 
coming  man — the  war-gong  was  sounded  more  loudly  than  ever; 
the  army  was  re-enforced  to  greater  size  than  ever ;  and  so  equipped 
that  its  general  proclaimed  it  the  "finest  army  on  the  planet." 
Agog  with  preparation,  and  stuffed  full  with  promises  of  certain  suc- 
cess this  time,  the  North  forgot  the  many  slips  between  its  lips  and 
the  coveted  cup  of  triumph,  and  waited  in  secure  impatience  for  the 
moment  when  the  roads  would  permit  Hooker  to  advance. 

And  the  South  waited,  too — not  hopefully,  nor  with  the  buoyant 
anticipation  of  the  past,  but  still  with  a  confidence  in  its  cause  and  its 
defenders  nowise  diminished;  with  even  more  fixed  determination 
never  to  yield,  while  there  were  muskets  left  and  hands  to  grasp  them. 

At  last  the  movement  came.  Late  in  April,  Hooker  divided  his 
immense  army  into  two  columns,  one  menacing  right  crossing  below 
Fredericksburg,  to  hold  the  troops  at  that  point ;  the  other  crossing 
above,  to  flank  and  pass  to  their  rear,  combining  with  the  other 
wing  and  cutting  communication  with  Richmond.  Taking  command 


250  Four  Years  in  Rebel  Capitals. 

in  person  of  his  right  wing — while  the  left  was  confided  to  General 
Slocum — Hooker  rapidly  crossed  the  river,  concentrating  not  less 
than  60,000  men  on  the  Chancellorsville  road,  eleven  miles  above 
Fredericksburg.  Grasping  the  situation  at  once,  Lee  ordered  the 
small  force  there  back  to  Mine  Run,  until  re-enforced ;  and  then,  on 
the  2d  of  May,  Stonewall  Jackson  completed  that  wonderful  and 
painful  circuit  of  the  enemy — so  brilliant  in  conception,  so  success- 
ful in  result.  Late  in  the  afternoon  he  reached  their  extreme  right 
and  rear,  secure  and  unsuspecting.  Never  stopping  to  rest,  the 
Eldest  Son  of  War  hurled  himself  like  a  thunderbolt  on  the  confident 
and  intrenched  enemy — scattering  the  eleventh  corps  (Sigel's)  like 
chaff,  and  hurling  them,  broken  and  demoralized,  upon  their  sup- 
ports. The  very  key  of  the  enemy's  campaign  was  driven  out ;  and 
the  "one  hour  more  of  daylight!"  the  hero-general  prayed  for — or 
the  merciful  sparing  of  his  priceless  life  by  the  God  of  Battles — 
would  have  shown  complete  defeat,  even  annihilation,  of  Hooker's 
right. 

But  it  was  not  so  written  in  the  Book  of  Life !  A  wise  dis- 
pensation, whose  object  we  may  see,  removed  the  best  and  great- 
est soldier  of  the  war — sorely  stricken  by  the  hands  of  his  own 
devoted  men,  in  the  darkness;  the  routed  enemy  was  given,  by  this 
unequaled  misfortune,  and  by  fast  falling  night,  opportunity  for  par- 
tial reorganization. 

Hooker's  right  was  turned  and  doubled  upon  his  center ;  but  he 
was  still  strong  in  numbers,  and  had  the  advantage  of  position  and 
heavy  works,  abatis  and  rifle-pits. 

Next  morning  General  Lee  assaulted  in  force,  all  along  the  line  ; 
and  after  heavy  and  bloody  fighting,  drove  him  from  his  position  at 
all  points.  Sedgwick,  however,  had  crossed  the  river  at  Fredericks- 
burg,  driving  the  Confederates  from  the  town  and  carrying  Mayre's 
Hill  by  assault.  This  acted  as  a  check  to  Lee,  who  was  forced  to 
detach  McLaws'  division  to  drive  Sedgwick  back  from  his  own  rear. 
This  he  successfully  accomplished,  and — Anderson  reaching  McLaws 
just  in  time — on  the  4th  of  May,  the  last  of  the  series  of  the  battles 
of  the  Rappahannock  resulted  in  complete  defeat  of  Sedgwick. 

Still,  Hooker  was  permitted  to  withdraw  his  army  across  the  river ; 
but  the  campaign  of  the  week  had  been  successful  in  utterly  break- 
ing his  plans  and  clearly  defeating  him  in  every  engagement. 


Four  Years  in,  Rebel  Capitals.  251 


CHAPTER  XXIX. 

OVER   AGAIN,    TO   GETTYSBURG. 

The  campaign  of  the  Rappahannock  had  shown  brilliant  flashes  of 
strategy  and  valor.  It  had  proved  that  a  badly-provided  army 
of  less  than  50,000  Confederates — barefooted,  blanketless  and  half- 
fed,  but  properly  led — could,  even  when  surrounded  and  out- 
flanked, defeat  and  set  at  naught  120,000  of  the  best-appointed 
troops  ever  sent  against  them.  It  revived,  in  some  degree,  the  droop- 
ing spirits  of  the  people ;  but  a  sorrow  that  rose  to  agony  wrung  the 
heart  of  the  South,  when  what  was  earth  of  her  peerless,  pure  and 
idolized  Jackson  was  laid  in  the  Capitol,  wrapped  in  the  flag  he  had 
made  immortal. 

Shattered  and  emaciated  veterans,  noble-browed  matrons  and  pale, 
delicate  maidens  gathered  around  that  sacred  bier,  in  the  awed  hush 
of  a  common  sorrow,  too  deep  for  words.  Tears  coursed  over  cheeks 
that  had  been  bronzed  in  the  fire  of  battle ;  sobs  rose  from  hearts 
that  had  lost  their  dearest  and  nearest  without  a  murmur,  save — Thy 
will  be  done!  And  little  children  were  lifted  up  to  look  upon  what 
was  left  of  him  who  would  ever  be  the  greatest  one  of  earth  to  them. 
And  through  the  coffin-lid,  that  calm,  still  face  seemed  hourly  to  grow 
more  holy  and  more  radiant ;  the  light  of  battle  faded  out  from  its 
softening  lines  and  the  seal  of  the  God  of  Peace  rested  in  plain  token 
upon  the  glorified  brow. 

Truly  did  every  one  who  looked  upon  it  feel : 

"  O,  gracious  God  !  not  gainless  is  the  loss  ! 

A  glorious  sunbeam  gilds  thy  sternest  frown— 
For,  while  his  country  staggers 'neath  the  Cross, 
He  rises  with  the  Crown  !  " 

And  when  the  funeral  procession  passed  the  streets  of  the  Capital, 
the  whole  people  stood  bareheaded  and  mute.  Following  the  wail- 
ing notes  of  the  dirge  with  unsteady  feet,  moved  the  escort  of  ragged 
and  war-worn  soldiers — their  tattered  banners  furled — and  every 
torn  dress  and  dented  gun-carriage  speaking  eloquently  of  the  right 


252  Four  Years  in  Rebel  Capitals. 

they  had  earned  to  sorrow  for  him.  It  was  no  mocking  pageant. 
No  holiday  soldiery,  spruce  and  gay,  followed  that  precious  bier — no 
chattering  crowds  pointed  out  the  beauties  of  the  sight.  Solemn  and 
mourning  the  escort  passed ;  sad  and  almost  voiceless  the  people 
turned  away  and,  going  to  their  homes,  sat  with  their  sorrow. 

After  the  Rappahannock  fights  came  a  lull  of  several  weeks ;  and 
it  was  early  in  June  when  General  Lee  advanced  to  force  the  enemy 
out  of  the  state.  His  army  had  been  reorganized  and  strengthened 
as  much  as  possible ;  General  R.  S.  Ewell  was  chosen  successor  <o 
Jackson ;  and  to  him,  Longstreet  and  A.  P.  Hill — raised  now  to  a 
full  lieutenant-general — was  given  command  of  the  three  corps. 

Diverging  from  the  main  line,  after  some  little  coquetting  for  po- 
sition, Ewell  charged  Jackson's  "foot  cavalry  "  upon  Winchester, 
capturing  the  town  with  its  heavy  depots  of  stores  and  munitions ; 
while  Hill  kept  Hooker  amused,  and  Longstreet  slowly  forged  his  way 
toward  the  river. 

Great  was  the  joy  of  the  poor  town  when  it  once  more  welcomed 
the  gray-jackets.  From  the  beginning  it  had  been  battle-ground  and 
billet  of  both  armies  a  dozen  times.  Tossed  from  Federal  to  Con- 
federate possession — a  very  shuttlecock  of  war — it  had  been  har- 
assed, robbed  and  pillaged  by  the  one ;  drained  of  the  very  dregs 
by  free  gifts  to  the  other.  But  the  people  of  Winchester  never  fal- 
tered in  their  faith ;  and  to-day  her  noble  women  go  down  the  roll 
of  heroism  and  steadfast  truth,  hand  in  hand  with  the  noblest  ones  of 
our  history. 

And  the  joy  in  Winchester  was  somewhat  reflected  at  the  harassed 
and  eager-watching  Capital.  Undiminished  by  the  sorrows  of  the 
last  fall,  undimmed  by  its  reverses,  still  burned  the  southern  desire 
to  plant  its  victorious  flag  on  hostile  soil.  It  was  neither  a  thirst  for 
vengeance  nor  an  empty  boast ;  rather  a  yearning  for  relief — a  crav- 
ing for  the  rest  from  blood  and  battle-shocks  that  such  a  campaign 
would  give. 

It  was  with  deep  satisfaction,  then,  that  Richmond  heard  that 
Ewell  had  crossed  the  Potomac  at  Williamsport,  pushed  on  through 
Hagerstown  and,  leaving  Early  at  York,  had  passed  to  Carlisle  ;  that 
Longstreet  had  followed  him  at  Williamsport ;  and  that  A.  P.  Hill 
had  crossed  at  Shepherdstown  and  pushed  for  Chambersburg,  reaching 
there  on  the  2yth  of  June. 


Four  Years  in  Rebel  Capitals.  253 

Hooker,  falling  rapidly  back  upon  Washington — at  which  point  he 
believed  the  movement  aimed — had  been  sacrificed,  and  with  more 
justice  than  usual,  to  popular  clamor.  General  Geo.  G.  Meade  re- 
placed him  in  command,  and  strained  every  nerve  to  collect  numbers 
of  men,  irrespective  of  quality— seeming  to  desire  to  crush  the  inva- 
sion by  weight  alone. 

Wild  was  the  alarm  in  the  North  when  the  rebel  advance  had 
penetrated  the  heart  of  Pennsylvania;  when  York  was  held  by  Early 
and  laid  under  contribution  and  Harrisburg  was  threatened  by  Ewell. 
The  whole  North  rose  in  its  might.  Governors  Seymour,  of  New 
York,  Andrew,  of  Massachusetts,  and  Curtin,  of  Pennsylvania,  put 
their  whole  militia  at  the  service  of  the  President;  the  energy  at 
Washington,  momentarily  paralyzed,  soon  recovered ;  and  by  the  last 
day  of  the  month,  Meade  had  collected  an  army  of  near  200,000  men. 
Many  of  these  were,  of  course,  new  levies  and  raw  militia ;  but  near 
one-half  were  the  veterans  of  the  armies  of  McClellan,  Burnside  and 
Hooker ;  men  who  had  fought  gallantly  on  southern  soil  and  might 
be  expected  to  do  so  on  their  own. 

It  seems  that  Lee's  intention  was  to  flank  Meade ;  and  leaving  him 
in  Maryland,  to  pass  into  Pennsylvania,  occupy  Harrisburg,  destroy 
communications  between  Washington  and  the  North  and  reduce  Phila- 
delphia. 

Such,  at  least,  was  the  universal  belief  of  the  southern  people ; 
and  so  rapidly  did  their  mercurial  temperament  rise  under  it,  and  so 
great  was  their  reliance  in  the  army  that  was  to  accomplish  the  brill- 
iant campaign,  that  they  looked  upon  it  already  as  a  fixed  fact.  Now, 
at  last,  they  felt,  we  will  teach  the  Yankees  what  invasion  really  means. 
With  their  Capital  leaguered,  their  President  and  Cabinet  fugitives  by 
water,  and  their  great  thoroughfare  and  second  city  in  our  hands,  we 
will  dictate  our  own  terms,  and  end  the  war. 

Such  might  have  been  the  case,  had  Gettysburg  been  won,  or 
had  that  battle  never  been  fought. 

If  Lee's  intention  was  to  flank  Meade  and  avoid  a  fight  at  the  out- 
set of  the  campaign,  it  was  thwarted  by  the  rapid  concentration  of 
troops  in  his  front,  near  Gettysburg.  To  prevent  being  struck  in 
detail  and  secure  his  communications,  Lee  was  forced  to  recall  Ewell 
and  to  concentrate  his  army.  Hill  and  Longstreet  were  ordered  up 
from  Chambersburg ;  and  by  July  ist  the  opposing  armies  faced 


254  Four  Years  in  Rebel  Capitals. 

«ach  other ;  each  feeling  its  way  cautiously  and  knowing  that  the 
result,  of  this  grapple  of  the  giants  must  in  a  great  measure  decide  the 
war.  Meade's  defeat  would  lose  Washington,  leave  the  heart  of  the 
North  open,  and  demoralize  the  only  army  in  that  section.  Lee's 
defeat,  on  the  other  hand,  would  jeopardy  his  very  existence  and 
probably  leave  Richmond  an  easy  prey  to  fresh  advance. 

But  in  Richmond  none  of  this  was  felt ;  for  all  that  was  known  of 
the  army  was  its  victorious  entry  into  Pennsylvania ;  and  absurdly 
exaggerated  stories  of  the  dire  panic  and  demoralization  of  the  enemy 
received  perfect  credence. 

Then  the  shock  came. 

On  the  ist  of  July,  Hill's  advance  encountered  the  enemy  under 
Reynolds ;  and — after  a  fierce  struggle,  in  which  their  general  was 
killed — drove  them  back  into  and  through  the  town.  Here  they  were 
reformed  on  a  semi-circular  crest  of  hills ;  massing  their  artillery  and 
holding  their  position  until  dark.  Their  loss  was  heavier  far  than 
Hill's,  and  the  men  not  in  as  good  fighting  trim;  but  it  was  very  late, 
and  General  Lee  feared  pressing  their  reserve.  Had  he  known  that 
it  was  only  the  advance  of  Meade,  broken  and  demoralized,  that  held 
the  crest,  he  could  undoubtedly  have  carried  and  occupied  it.  The 
fearful  battles  of  the  next  two  days,  with  their  terrific  loss  of  life, 
doubtless  hung  on  this  lost  opportunity. 

By  next  morning  the  enemy  had  massed  the  remainder  of  his 
army  behind  these  hills,  now  frowning  with  two  hundred  guns  and 
blue  with  one  dense  line  of  soldiery.  Under  a  fearful  cannonade, 
through  a  hail  of  bullets  that  nothing  living  might  stand,  Stewart 
works  his  way  slowly  and  steadily  forward  on  the  enemy's  left; 
driving  him  from  line  after  line  of  works  and  holding  every  inch 
gained,  by  dogged  valor  and  perseverance.  Hays  and  Hoke  (of 
Early's)  advance  into  the  ploughing  fire  of  the  rifled  guns — march 
steadily  on  and  charge  over  their  own  dead  and  dying,  straight  for 
Cemetery  Heights.  This  is  the  key  of  the  enemy's  position.  That 
once  gained  the  day  is  won ;  and  on  the  brave  fellows  go,  great  gaps 
tearing  through  their  ranks — answering  every  fresh  shock  with  a 
savage  yell.  Line  after  line  of  the  enemy  gives  way  before  that 
teiyible  charge.  The  breastwork  is  occupied — they  are  driven  out ! 
Melting  under  the  horrid  fire,  unfaltering  still— the  gray-jackets  reach 
the  very  hill ! 


Four  Years  in  Rebel  Capitals.  255 

Nothing  mortal  can  stand  the  enfilading  fire.  They  give  way — 
again  they  charge — they  are  at  the  very  works !  But  the  fire  is  too 
heavy  for  their  thinned  ranks  to  stand;  and  night  falls  over  the  field, 
illumined  by  the  red  flash  of  cannon — drenched  with  blood  and 
horrid  with  carnage  of  friend  and  foe.  But  there  is  no  advantage 
gained,  save  a  slight  advance  of  Stewart's  position  on  their  left. 

With  the  morning  of  the  third  day  came  the  conviction  that  the 
vital  struggle  must  be  made  for  Cemetery  Heights.  Lee  must  win 
them — and  then  for  victory ! 

All  the  artillery  was  massed  upon  this  point.  Then  awoke  the 
infernal  echoes  of  such  an  artillery  duel  as  the  war  was  never  to  see 
again.  The  air  was  black  with  flying  shot  and  shell,  and  their  wild 
whoo!  made  one  continuous  song  through  the  sultry  noon.  Forth 
from  the  canopy  of  smoke  and  their  screen  of  trees,  comes  the  chosen 
storming  party — Pickett's  division  of  Virginians;  supported  on  the 
right  by  Wilcox  and  on  the  left  by  Heth's  division  under  Pettigrew,  its 
own  general  having  been  wounded  in  the  head  the  day  before. 

Unmindful  of  the  fire-sheeted  storm  into  which  they  march — down 
into  the  Valley  of  the  Shadow  of  Death  stride  that  devoted  band. 
Now,  they  emerge  into  the  Emmetsburg  road,  straight  on  for  the 
coveted  heights.  On !  never  blenching,  never  faltering — with  great 
gaps  crashing  through  them — filling  the  places  of  the  dead  with  the 
living  next  to  die — On !  into  the  jaws  of  death  goes  the  forlorn  hope  ! 
They  are  at  the  rise — they  reach  the  crest ;  and  then  their  batteries  are 
suddenly  silent  I 

Behind  them  is  the  ghastly  road,  furrowed  and  ploughed  by  cease- 
less shot,  slippery  with  blood  and  dotted  thick  with  their  writhing, 
bleeding  brothers.  Behind  them  is  death — defeat !  Before  them  a 
hundred  belching  cannon — a  dense,  dark  mass  of  blue,  relieved  only 
by  the  volleying  flash  that  shakes  and  rolls  along  their  shattered  line ! 
Still  up  they  go!  on — ever  on!  That  small  Virginia  division,  shat- 
tered, bleeding — and  alone  reaches  the  works — fights  for  one  moment 
and  then — has  won  them  1 

But  there  are  no  supports — Pettigrew  has  not  come  up;  and  the 
decimated  Virginians  are  literally  overwhelmed  b,y  the  fresh  masses 
poured  upon  them.  Broken,  torn,  exhausted,  they  fall  back — scat- 
tered into  terrible  death-dealing  knots,  that  fight  their  way  sullenly 
and  terribly  home  to  their  own  lines ! 


256  Four  Years  in  Rebel  Capitals. 

That  charge — unequaled  in  history — has  fearfully  crippled  the 
enemy.  He  can  not  pursue.  But  it  has  failed,  and  the  battle  of 
Gettysburg  is  over ! 

That  night  General  Lee  fell  back  toward  Hagerstown,  turning  in 
his  retreat  to  show  front  to  the  enemy  that  dared  not  attack.  Nine 
days  he  stayed  on  the  Maryland  shore,  waiting  the  advance  that 
never  came  ;  then  he  recrossed  the  river,  on  the  night  of  the  i3th, 
and  again  fell  back  to  the  Rappahannock  lines. 

The  second  Maryland  campaign  had  failed ! 

Into  the  midst  of  the  general  elation  in  Richmond  crashed  the 
wild  rumors  from  the  fight.  We  had  driven  the  enemy  through  the 
town;  we  held  the  height;  we  had  captured  Meade  and  40,000 
prisoners.  Washington  was  at  our  mercy;  and  Lee  would  dictate 
terms  of  peace  from  Philadelphia! 

These  were  the  first  wild  rumors;  eagerly  sought  and  readily 
credited  by  the  people.  They  were  determined  to  believe  and  would 
see  no  change  of  plan  in  General  Lee's  forced  battle  at  Gettysburg, 
instead  of  on  the  plains  at  Harrisburg. 

Then  over  the  general  joy,  creeping  none  knew  whence  nor  how, 
but  rapidly  gaining  shape  and  substance,  came  a  shadow  of  doubt. 
Crowds  besieged  the  War  Department,  anxious,  excited,  but  still 
hopeful.  Then  the  truth  came ;  tempered  by  the  Government,  but 
wildly  exaggerated  by  northern  sources. 

Down  to  zero  dropped  the  spirits  of  the  people ;  down  to  a  depth 
of  despairing  gloom,  only  the  deeper  from  the  height  of  their  previous 
exultation.  The  dark  cloud  from  Gettysburg  rolled  back  over  Rich- 
mond, darkened  and  made  dense  a  hundred  fold  in  the  transit. 

The  terrible  carnage  of  that  field  was  exaggerated  by  rumor. 
Pickett's  gallant  division  was  declared  annihilated ;  it  was  believed 
that  the  army  had  lost  20,000  men ;  and  it  was  known  that  such 
priceless  blood  as  that  of  Garnett,  Pettigrew,  Armistead,  Pender, 
Kemper,  Semmes  and  Barksdale  had  sealed  the  dreadful  defeat. 

It  only  needed  what  came  the  next  day,  to  dash  the  last  drop  from 
the  cup  of  hope  the  people  still  tried  to  hold  to  their  lips ;  and  that 
was  the  news  of  the  fall  of  Vicksburg,  on  the  4th  of  July. 

And  out  of  the  thick  darkness  that  settled  on  the  souls  of  all, 
came  up  the  groan  of  inquiry  and  blame.  Why  had  the  campaign 
failed?  they  asked.  Why  had  General  Lee  been  forced  into  battle 


Four  Years  in  Rebel  Capitals.  257 

on  ground  of  the  enemy's  choosing  ?  Why  had  he  attacked  works 
that  only  an  army  like  his  would  have  made  an  effort  to  take,  when 
he  could  have  flanked  the  enemy  and  forced  him  to  fight  him  on  his 
own  terms?  Why  had  the  Government — as  was  alleged — allowed 
the  crucial  test  of  liberty — the  crisis  campaign  of  the  war — to  be  un- 
dertaken without  proper  transportation  and  supplies  of  ammunition  ? 

And  why,  above  all,  had  the  general  they  still  loved  and  trusted, 
spite  of  their  doubts — why  had  he  sent  their  beloved  Virginians  un- 
supported to  the  shambles  ?  Why  had  he  fought  the  whole  Yankee 
army  with  one  division  ? 

Such  were  the  murmurs  on  every  side.  And  though  they  gradu- 
ally died  away,  after  the  first  shock  of  surprise  and  grief  had  passed ; 
still  they  left  a  vague  feeling  behind  that  all  was  not  well;  that  grave 
errors  had  been  committed  somewhere.  For  the  southern  people 
could  not  get  over  the  feeling  that  there  were  no  odds  of  numbers  and 
position  that  could  cause  defeat  to  a  southern  army,  properly  supplied 
and  properly  handled.  So,  although  the  murmurs  ceased,  the  convic- 
tion did  not  die  with  them  that  the  battle  of  Gettysburg  was  a  grave 
error;  that  there  had  been  a  useless  waste  of  priceless  lives;  and 
that  the  campaign  had  been  nullified,  which  else  had  ended  the  war. 

And  unlike  other  post-disaster  conclusions  of  the  southern  people, 
this  did  not  die  out.  It  only  became  strengthened  and  fixed,  the 
more  light  was  thrown  on  the  vexed  questions  and  the  more  they 
were  canvassed.  The  excuses  of  the  War  Department  that  ammuni- 
tion had  given  out,  were  scornfully  rejected.  Then,  said  the  people, 
that  was  your  fault.  General  Lee  could  not  depend — in  a  campaign 
in  the  heart  of  an  enemy's  country  and  far  away  from  his  base — upon 
his  captures.  And  as  to  his  not  intending  to  fight  a  pitched  battle, 
how  could  he  calculate  upon  that,  or  why  then  did  he  fight  it ;  and 
upon  ground  of  the  enemy's  choice? 

And  with  the  other  objections  to  the  conduct  of  the  campaign, 
came  that  of  the  general's  treatment  of  the  people  of  Pennsylvania. 
It  was  felt  to  be  an  excess  of  moderation  to  a  people  whose  armies 
had  not  spared  the  sword,  the  torch  and  insult  to  our  unprotected 
tracts ;  and  it  was  argued — without  a  shadow  of  foundation — that 
Lee's  knightly  courtesy  to  the  Dutch  dames  of  Pennsylvania  had  dis- 
gusted his  troops. 

Those  starving  and  barefooted  heroes  would  have  thought  it  right 
17 


258  Four  Years  in  Rebel  Capitals. 

if  their  beloved  chief  had  fallen  down  and  worshiped  the  makers 
of  apple-butter!  They  felt  he  could  do  no  wrong;  and  it  was  indi- 
rect injustice  to  the  gallant  dead  that  dotted  Cemetery  Hill — and  to 
the  no  less  gallant  living  ready  to  march  up  to  those  frowning  heights 
again — to  intimate  that  any  action  of  their  general  would,  or  could, 
have  made  them  fight  better. 

Excessive  as  was  that  moderation — ill  advised  as  it  might  have 
proved,  in  case  of  a  long  campaign — it  could  have  had  no  possible 
effect  on  the  fortunes  of  the  disastrous  and  brief  one  just  ended. 

Equally  unjust  as  that  popular  folly,  was  the  aspersion  upon  south- 
ern sympathizers  in  Maryland,  that  they  did  not  come  forth  to  aid 
their  friends.  The  part  of  Maryland  through  which  southern  armies 
passed  in  both  campaigns  were  sparsely  settled,  and  that  with  strong 
Union  population.  The  Marylander  of  Baltimore  and  the  lower 
counties — whatever  may  have  been  his  wishes,  was  gagged  and  bound 
too  closely  to  express,  far  less  carry  them  out.  Baltimore  was  filled 
with  an  armed  guard  and  was,  moreover,  the  passage-way  of  thou- 
sands of  troops;  the  lower  counties  were  watched  and  guarded. 
And,  moreover,  the  Confederate  army  was  not  practically  in  Mary- 
land, but  from  the  zoth  of  June  to  the  ist  of  July. 

The  taunt  to  the  down-trodden  Marylanders — oppressed  and  suf- 
fering bravely  for  conscience  sake — we  must  in  justice  to  ourselves 
believe  only  the  result  of  grief  and  disappointment.  Men,  like 
goods,  can  only  be  judged  "by  sample;"  and,  from  the  beginning 
to  the  end  of  the  war,  Maryland  may  point  to  Archer,  Winder, 
Elzey,  Johnson  and  many  another  noble  son — unhonored  now,  or 
filling,  perhaps,  a  nameless  grave — and  ask  if  such  men  came  from 
among  a  people  who  talked  but  would  not  act !  And  so  in  sorrow, 
disappointment  and  bitterness  ended  the  second  Maryland  campaign. 

And  with  it  ended  all  hopes  of  carrying  the  war  beyond  our  own 
gates  in  future ;  happy  could  we  beat  it  thence,  baffled  and  crushed 
as  ever  before. 

For  the  short,  sharp  raid  of  General  Early — penetrating  to  the 
gates  of  the  Capital  and  with  possible  capabilities  of  even  entering 
them — can  hardly  be  considered  an  organized  scheme  of  invasion. 
It  was  rather  the  spasmodic  effort  by  a  sharp,  hard  blow  to  loosen 
the  tightening  and  death-dealing  grip  upon  our  throat,  and  give  us 
time  for  one  long,  deep  breath  before  the  final  tug  for  life. 


Four  Years  in  Rebel  Capitals.  259 


CHAPTER  XXX. 

THE   CONFEDERACY   AFLOAT. 

Measured  by  the  popular  test,  success,  the  Confederate  States 
Navy  would,  perhaps,  be  accorded  little  merit.  Even  cursory  exami- 
nation into  the  vast  difficulties  and  discouragements  with  which  it 
contended,  will  do  it  prompt  justice. 

No  men  who  joined  the  southern  service  sacrificed  more  than  her 
navy  officers.  The  very  flower  of  the  old  service,  they  had  grown 
gray  in  their  slow  promotion  to  its  positions  of  honor;  their  families 
depended  for  sole  support  upon  the  pittance  of  pay  they  received. 
Still  they  hesitated  not  a  moment  to  range  themselves  under  the 
banners  their  native  states  had  unfurled.  Once  there,  no  men 
labored  more  faithfully — and  efficiently.  Subject  to  misconstruction, 
to  jealousy,  to  petty  annoyances — and  later,  to  the  most  pinching 
straits  of  poverty — they  were  ever  uncomplaining  and  ever  ready. 

Many  and  varied  were  the  calls  upon  them.  They  commanded 
land  batteries,  trained  raw  gunners  and  drilled  lubberly  conscripts  ; 
they  were  bridge-builders,  carpenters,  wood-cutters,  chemists  and  coll- 
iers ;  and,  at  the  best,  it  was  hard  for  the  veteran  who  had,  for  forty 
years,  trod  the  deck  of  a  frigate,  to  be  cooped  in  the  contracted 
limits  of  a  razeed  tug,  or  an  armed  pilot  boat.  But  once  there  he 
made  the  best  of  it ;  and  how  well  he  wrought  in  the  new  sphere,  the 
names  of  Hollins,  Lynch,  Buchanan  and  Tucker  still  attest. 

At  the  time  the  first  Army  Bill  was  passed  by  Congress,  a  law  was 
also  made  securing  to  resigned  naval  officers  the  same  rank  they  held 
in  the  United  States  service.  But  there  was  scarcely  a  keel  in  Con- 
federate waters,  and  small  indeed  was  the  prospect  for  the  future ;  so 
these  impatient  spirits,  panting  for  active  work,  were  put  into  unsuit- 
able positions  at  the  very  outset.  Later,  a  bill  was  passed  for  a  pro- 
visional navy,  but  there  was  no  fleet  for  their  occupation.  The  de- 
partment, therefore,  used  the  discretion  given  it  to  confer  a  few 
honorary  titles,  and  to  appoint  a  vast  number  of  subordinate  officers, 
for  shore  duty  in  its  work-shops  and  navy-yards. 


260  Four  Years  in  Rebel  Capitals. 

The  acceptability  of  Mr.  Mallory  to  the  people,  at  the  outset  of  his 
career,  has  been  noted.  They  believed  that  his  long  experience  in 
the  committee  of  naval  affairs  was  guarantee  for  the  important  trust 
confided  to  him.  Moreover,  he  was  known  to  be  relied  upon  by  Mr. 
Davis  as  a  man  of  solid  intellect,  of  industry  and  perseverance.  If 
his  knowledge  of  naval  affairs  was  entirely  theoretical,  it  mattered 
little  so  long  as  he  could  turn  that  knowledge  to  practical  account,  by 
the  counsel  and  aid  of  some  of  the  most  efficient  of  the  scientific 
sailors  of  the  Union. 

Mr.  Mallory  took  charge  of  the  Navy  Department  in  March,  '61. 
At  this  time  the  question  of  iron-clads  had  attention  of  naval  builders 
on  both  sides  of  the  Atlantic;  and  deeming  them  indispensable  to 
naval  warfare,  the  Secretary's  first  movement  was  a  strong  memoir  to 
Congress,  urging  immediate  and  heavy  appropriations  for  their  con- 
struction at  New  Orleans  and  Mobile.  With  a  treasury  empty  and  im- 
movably averse  to  anything  like  decisive  action,  the  astute  lawgivers  of 
Montgomery  hesitated  and  doubted.  The  most  that  could  be  forced 
from  them  were  small  appropriations  for  the  fitting  out  of  privateers. 

The  first  venture,  the  "Sumter,"  was  bought,  equipped  and  put 
into  commission  at  the  end  of  April;  and  in  the  course  of  a  few 
weeks  she  ran  out  of  New  Orleans,  in  command  of  Raphael  Semmes, 
and  the  stars  and  bars  were  floating  solitary,  but  defiant,  over  the  seas. 
The  history  of  her  cruise,  the  terror  she  spread  among  the  enemy's 
shipping,  and  the  paralysis  she  sent  to  the  very  heart  of  his  com- 
merce, are  too  well  known  to  need  repetition  here.  Badly-built  craft 
as  she  was  for  such  a  service,  she  was  still  more  badly  equipped ;  but 
so  eminently  successful  was  she  that  both  Government  and  Congress 
must  have  been  incurably  blind,  not  to  put  a  hundred  like  her  upon 
every  sea  where  the  Union  flag  could  float. 

Had  one-twentieth  the  sum  frittered  away  in  useless  iron-clads, 
and  worse  than  useless  "gunboats,"  been  put  into  saucy  and  swift 
wasps  like  the  "  Sumter,"  their  stings  must  have  driven  northern 
commerce  from  the  sea;  and  the  United  States  ports  would  have 
been  more  effectually  blockaded,  from  a  thousand  miles  at  sea,  than 
were  those  of  the  southern  fleet-bound  coast. 

It  may  not  be  irrelevant  here  to  allude  to  the  finale  of  the  Con- 
federate cruisers;  and  to  recall  the  most  inane  farce  of  all  those  en- 
acted by  the  madmen  who  held  power  in  '66. 


Four  Years  in  Rebel  Capitals.  261 

In  the  January  of  that  year,  Raphael  Semmes  was  seized  and 
thrown  into  prison.  He  was  now  charged — not  with  having  violated 
his  parole  given  to  General  Grant,  who  was  personally  and  morally 
responsible  for  his  persecution — not  with  doing  aught  but  "obeying 
the  laws  themselves ;"  but  he  was  charged  with  having  escaped,  the 
year  before,  from  the  custody  of  a  man  whose  prisoner  he  was  not  and 
had  never  been — with  having  broken  from  a  durance  that  ought  to 
have  existed !  From  incontrovertible  testimony,  we  know  that  Cap- 
tain Semmek  only  raised  the  white  flag,  after  his  vessel  began  to  sink ; 
that  he  stayed  on  her  deck  until  she  went  down  beneath  him ;  that 
no  boat  came  to  him  from  the  "  Kearsage,"  and  that  he  was  in  the 
water  full  an  hour,  before  the  boat  of  the  "  Deerhound  "  picked  him 
up  and  carried  him  aboard  that  yacht. 

But  radical  hatred,  and  thirst  for  vengeance  on  a  disarmed  enemy, 
raised  the  absurd  plea  that  Semmes  became  a  prisoner  of 
war  by  raising  the  white  flag ;  that  by  so  doing  he  gave  a  moral  parole  ! 
and  violated  it  by  saving  himself  from  a  watery  grave  and  afterward 
taking  up  arms  again.  It  is  only  a  proof  that  the  country  was  a  little 
less  mad  than  the  radical  leaders,  that  the  unheard-of  absurdity  of 
its  Navy  Department  was  not  sustained  by  popular  opinion.  It  would 
have  no  doubt  been  chivalric  and  beautiful  in  Raphael  Semmes  to 
have  drowned  in  the  ocean,  because  the  boat  of  the  "Kearsage" 
would  not  pick  him  up  after  accepting  his  "  moral  parole; "  but,  as  he 
did  not  see  it  in  that  light,  and  as  he  was  never  called  upon  to  sur- 
render by  any  officer  of  that  ship,  he  was  perfectly  free  the  moment 
his  own  deck  left  him  in  the  waves.  The  white  flag  was  but  a  token 
that  he  desired  to  save  the  lives  of  his  men ;  and  would  surrender 
them  and  himself,  if  opportunity  were  given.  But  even  granting  the 
nonsensical  claim  that  it  made  him  a  prisoner — the  laws  of  war  de- 
mand absolute  safety  for  prisoners  ;  and  the  fact  of  the  "  Kearsage  " 
leaving  him  to  drown  was,  in  itself,  a  release. 

There  is  no  necessity  for  defense  of  Captain  Semmes'  position  ; 
but  it  may  be  well  to  record  how  blind  is  the  hate  which  still  attempts 
to  brand  as  "Pirate  "  a  regularly-commissioned  officer  in  service, 
whose  long  career  gained  him  nothing  but  respect  under  the  north- 
ern— nothing  but  glory  under  the  southern  flag.  If  Raphael  Semmes  be 
a  "pirate,"  then  was  the  northern  recognition  of  belligerents  but  an 
active  lie !  Then  was  Robert  E.  Lee  a  marauder — Wade  Hampton 
but  a  bushwhacker,  and  Joseph  E.  Johnston  but  a  guerrilla ! 


262  Four  Years  in  Rebel  Capitals. 

When  the  "  Sumter"  began  her  work,  she  was  soon  followed  by 
the  ' '  Florida  " — a  vessel  somewhat  better,  but  still  of  the  same  class. 
Under  the  dashing  and  efficient  Maffitt,  the  "  Florida,"  too,  wrought 
daring  destruction.  Her  record,  like  that  of  her  rival,  is  too  familiar 
for  repetition;  as  is  the  later  substitution  of  the  "Alabama"  for  the 
worn-out  "Sumter." 

During  the  long  war,  these  three  vessels — and  but  two  of  them  at 
one  time — were  the  only  cruisers  the  Confederacy  had  afloat ;  until 
just  before  its  close,  the  "Shenandoah  "  went  out  to  strike  fresh  ter- 
ror to  the  heart  and  pocket  of  New  England.  Then,  also,  that  strong- 
handed  and  cool-headed  amphiboid,  Colonel  John  Taylor  Wood,  made 
— with  wretched  vessels  and  hastily-chosen  crews — most  effective 
raids  on  the  coasting  shipping  of  the  Northeast. 

One  popular  error  pervades  all  which  has  been  said  or  written, 
on  both  sides  of  the  line,  about  the  Confederate  navy.  This  is  the 
general  title  of  "privateer,"  given  to  all  vessels  not  cooped  up  in 
southern  harbors.  Regularly-commissioned  cruisers,  like  the  "Ala- 
bama" and  "Florida,"  the  property  of  the  Navy  Department,  and 
commanded  by  its  regularly-commissioned  officers,  were  no  more 
" privateers"  than  were  the  "  Minnesota,"  or  "  Kearsage." 

There  was  a  law  passed,  regulating  the  issue  of  letters  of  marque ; 
and  from  time  to  time  much  was  heard  of  these  in  the  South.  But 
after  the  first  spirt  of  the  saucy  little  "  Jeff  Davis,"  not  more  than 
two  or  three  ever  found  their  way  to  sea  j  and  even  these  accomplished 
nothing. 

At  one  time,  a  company  with  heavy  capital  was  gotten  up  in  Rich- 
mond, for  the  promotion  of  such  enterprises ;  but  it  was  looked  upon 
as  a  job  and  was  little  successful  in  any  sense. 

So,  with  all  the  ports  of  the  world  open  to  belligerent  ships ;  with 
unsurpassed  sailors  ' '  panting  for  the  very  lack  of  element "  in  musty 
offices,  privateers  did  not  increase  in  number ;  and  one  of  the  most 
effective  engines  of  legitimate  warfare  was  but  illustrated,  instead  of 
being  utilized. 

Meantime,  the  Navy  Department  had  ceased  to  importune  for  ap- 
propriations to  build  iron-clads  at  New  Orleans ;  an  omission  that 
carried  the  grave  responsibility  for  loss  of  that  city,  and  for  the  far 
graver  disaster  of  the  closing  of  the  whole  river  and  the  blockade  of 
the  trans-Mississippi.  For  had  the  "  Louisiana"  been  furnished  with 


Four  Years  in  Rebel  Capitals.  263 

two  companion  ships  of  equal  strength — or  even  had  she  been  com- 
pletely finished  and  not  had  been  compelled  to  succumb  to  accidents 
within,  while  she  braved  the  terrific  fire  from  without — the  Federal 
fleet  might  have  been  crushed  like  egg-shells ;  the  splendid  exertions 
of  Hollins  and  Kennon  in  the  past  would  not  have  been  nullified; 
the  blood  of  Mclntosh  and  Huger  would  not  have  been  useless  sacri- 
fice ;  and  the  homes  of  the  smiling  city  and  the  pure  vicinage  of  her 
noble  daughters  might  not  have  been  polluted  by  the  presence  of  the 
commandant,  who  crawled  in  after  the  victorious  fleet. 

Norfolk,  however,  had  come  into  southern  possession,  by  the  se- 
cession of  Virginia ;  and  the  vast  resources  of  her  navy-yard — only 
partly  crippled  by  the  haste  of  the  Federal  retreat — stimulated  the 
Government.  A  meager  appropriation  was  passed  for  the  construc- 
tion of  the  "  Merrimac ;"  or  rather  for  an  iron-clad  ship  upon  the 
hull  of  the  half-destroyed  frigate  of  that  name.  Had  the  whole 
amount  necessary  for  her  completion  been  given,  the  vessel  would 
have  been  ready  weeks  before  she  was,  under  the  dribblet  system 
adopted.  Then,  indeed,  it  would  be  hard  to  overestimate  her  value ; 
damage  to  shipping  in  Hampton  Roads;  or  her  ultimate  effect  upon 
McClellan's  campaign. 

No  appropriation  for  an  object  of  vital  import  could  be  shaken 
free  from  its  bonds  of  red  tape ;  and  this  one  was  saddled  with  an 
incubus,  in  the  bill  for  the  "construction  of  one  hundred  gunboats." 
The  scheme  to  build  that  number  of  wooden  vessels  of  small  size 
seemed  equally  short-sighted  and  impracticable.  They  could  only 
be  built  on  inland  rivers  and  creeks,  to  prevent  attacks  by  the 
enemy's  heavier  vessels ;  and  hence  they  were  necessarily  small  and 
ineffective.  The  interior  navy-yards  had,  moreover,  to  be  guarded 
against  surprises  by  the  enemy's  cavalry ;  and  as  men  were  so  scarce, 
it  was  generally  arranged  that  the  navy-yard  should  follow  the  army 
lines.  Constantly  shifting  position — caused  by  the  rapid  movements 
of  the  enemy,  left  these  impromptu  ship-yards  unprotected ;  and  then 
a  small  party  of  raiders  would  either  burn  them,  or  force  their  build- 
ers to  do  so.  It  was  not  until  the  appropriation  was  nearly  spent — 
although  not  one  efficient  gunboat  of  this  class  was  ever  finished — that 
the  system  was  abandoned  as  utterly  worthless  and  impracticable. 

Had  the  large  sum  thus  wasted  been  applied  to  the  purchase  of 
swift  and  reliable  cruisers— or  to  the  speedy  and  energetic  comple- 


264  Four  Years  in  Rebel  Capitals. 

tion  of  one  iron -clad  at  a  time — it  would  have  read  a  far  more  telling 
story  to  the  enemy,  both  in  prestige  and  result. 

But  even  in  the  case  of  these,  energy  and  capital  were  divided 
and  distracted.  On  completion  of  the  "  Merrimac,"  there  were  in  the 
course  of  construction  at  New  Orleans,  two  mailed  vessels  of  a  differ- 
ent class — one  of  them  only  a  towboat  covered  with  railroad  iron. 
There  were  also  two  small  ones  on  the  stocks  at  Charleston,  and  an- 
other at  Savannah.  The  great  difficulty  of  procuring  proper  iron; 
of  rolling  it  when  obtained ;  and  the  mismanagement  of  transporta- 
tion, even  when  the  plates  were  ready — made  the  progress  of  all  these 
boats  very  slow.  Practicality  would  have  concentrated  the  whole 
energy  of  the  Department  upon  one  at  a  time ;  not  have  left  them  all 
unfinished,  either  to  prove  utterly  useless  at  the  trying  moment,  or  to 
fall  a  prey  to  superior  force  of  the  enemy. 

The  plan  of  the  "Merrimac"  was  unique,  in  the  submersion  of 
her  projecting  eaves;  presenting  a  continuous  angling  coat  of  mail 
even  below  the  water-surface.  She  was  built  upon  the  razeed  hull  of 
the  old  "Merrimac,"  of  four-and-a-half-inch  iron,  transverse  plates; 
and  carried  an  armament  of  seven-inch  rifled  Brooke  guns,  made 
expressly  for  her.  There  was  much  discussion  at  one  time,  as  to 
whom  the  credit  for  her  plan  was  really  due.  It  finally  was  generally 
conceded,  however,  that  her  origin  and  perfection  were  due  to  Com- 
mander John  M.  Brooke ;  and  the  terrible  banded  rifle-gun  and  bolt, 
she  used  with  such  effect  on  the  "  Cumberland,"  was  his  undisputed 
invention. 

Much  wonder  had  the  good  people  of  Norfolk  expressed  in  their 
frequent  visits  to  the  strange-looking,  turtle-like  structure.  Day  by 
day  she  slowly  grew;  and  at  length,  after  weary  work  and  weary 
waiting,  took  on  her  armament;  then  her  crew  was  picked  carefully 
from  eager  volunteers  :  her  grand  old  captain  took  his  place,  and  all 
was  ready  for  the  trial. 

During  all  this  time  Hampton  Roads  had  been  gay  with  Federal 
shipping.  Frigates,  gunboats,  transports  and  supply  ships  ran  de- 
fiantly up  and  down ;  laughing  at  the  futile  efforts  of  the  point  bat- 
teries to  annoy  them,  and  indulging  in  a  dream  of  security  that  was 
to  be  most  rudely  broken.  The  "  Susquehanna"  frigate,  with  heav- 
iest armament  in  the  Federal  navy,  laid  in  the  channel  at  Newport 
News,  blockading  the  mouth  of  James  river  and  cutting  off  com- 


JFour  Years  in  Rebel  Capitals.  265 

munication  from  Norfolk.  The  "  Congress"  frigate  was  lying  near 
her,  off  the  News;  while  the  "Minnesota"  lay  below,  under  the 
guns  of  Fortress  Monroe.  The  Ericsson  Monitor — the  first  of  her 
class,  and  equally  an  experiment  as  her  rebel  rival — had  come  round 
a  few  days  before  to  watch  the  ' '  Virginia, "  as  the  new  iron-clad  was 
now  rechristened. 

The  great  ship  being  ready,  Flag-Officer  Buchanan  ordered  the 
"Jamestown,"  Captain  Barney,  and  the  "Yorktown,"  Captain 
Tucker,  down  from  Richmond;  while  he  went  out  with  the  "Ra- 
leigh" and  "Beaufort" — two  of  the  smallest  class  of  gunboats, 
saved  by  Captain  Lynch  from  Roanoke  Island.  This  combined 
force — four  of  the  vessels  being  frail  wooden  shells,  formerly  used  as 
river  passenger  boats — carried  only  twenty-seven  guns.  But  Buch- 
anan steamed  boldly  out,  on  the  morning  of  the  8th  of  March,  to 
attack  an  enemy  carrying  quite  two  hundred  and  twenty  of  the  heaviest 
guns  in  the  United  States  navy! 

It  was  a  moment  of  dreadful  suspense  for  the  soldiers  in  the  bat- 
teries and  the  people  of  Norfolk.  They  crowded  the  wharves,  the 
steeples,  and  the  high  points  of  the  shore;  and  every  eye  was  strained 
upon  the  black  specks  in  the  harbor. 

Slowly — with  somewhat  of  majesty  in  her  stolid,  even  progress — 
the  "Virginia"  steamed  on — down  the  harbor — past  the  river  bat- 
teries— out  into  the  Roads.  Steadily  she  kept  her  way,  heading 
straight  for  the  "  Cumberland ;"  and  close  to  her  stuck  the  frail 
wooden  boats  that  a  single  shell  might  have  shattered.  On  she  went 
— into  full  range.  Then  suddenly,  as  if  from  one  match,  shipping 
and  shore  batteries  belched  forth  the  great  shells  hurtling  over  her, 
hissing  into  the  water — bounding  from  her  side  like  raindrops  from 
a  rock !  On  she  headed — straight  for  the  "  Cumberland ;  "  the  crew 
of  that  ship  steadily  working  their  heated  guns  and  wondering  at  the 
strange,  silent  monster  that  came  on  so  evenly,  so  slowly — so  regard- 
less alike  of  shot  and  shell.  Suddenly  she  spoke. 

The  terrible  shell  from  her  bow-gun  tore  the  huge  frigate  from 
stern  to  bow ;  driving  in  her  quarter,  dismounting  guns  and  scatter- 
ing death  along  its  course.  Shocked  and  staggered,  Uncle  Sam's 
tars  still  stuck  to  their  work.  Once  more  the  "  Cumberland ''  deliv- 
ered her  whole  broadside,  full  in  her  enemy's  face  at  pistol  range.  It 
was  her  death  volley.  The  submerged  ram  had  struck  home.  A 


266  Four  Years  in  Rebel  Capitals. 

great  rent  yawned  in  the  ship's  side;  she  filled  rapidly — careened 
— went  down  by  the  bows — her  flag  still  flying — her  men  still  at 
quarters ! 

On  past  her — scarce  checked  in  her  deadly-slow  course — moved 
the  "  Virginia."  Then  she  closed  on  the  "  Congress,"  and  one  terrific 
broadside  after  another  raked  the  frigate ;  till,  trembling  like  a  card- 
house,  she  hauled  down  her  colors  and  raised  the  white  flag.  The 
"Beaufort"  ranged  alongside  and  received  the  flag  of  the  <: Con- 
gress," and  her  captain,  William  R.  Smith,  and  Lieutenant  Pender- 
grast  as  prisoners  of  war.  These  officers  left  their  side-arms  on  the 
"  Beaufort"  and  returned  to  the  "Congress;"  when — notwithstand- 
ing the  white  flag — a  hot  fire  was  opened  from  shore  upon  the  "  Beau- 
fort," and  she  was  compelled  to  withdraw.  Lieutenant  Robert 
Minor  was  then  sent  in  a  boat  from  the  "Virginia"  to  fire  the  frigate; 
but  was  badly  wounded  by  a  Minie-ball,  from  under  the  white  flag ; 
and  Captain  Buchanan  was  seriously  hit  in  the  leg  by  the  same  volley. 
Then  it  was  determined  to  burn  the  "  Congress"  with  hot  shot. 

There  is  no  room  for  comment  here ;  and  no  denial  of  these  facts 
has  ever  been  made,  or  attempted. 

Meanwhile,  the  frigates  "Minnesota,"  "St.  Lawrence"  and 
"Roanoke"  had  advanced  and  opened  fire  on  the  "  Virginia;"  but 
upon  her  approach  to  meet  it,  they  retired  under  the  guns  of  the  fort ; 
the  "  Minnesota"  badly  damaged  by  the  heavy  fire  of  her  antagonist, 
while  temporarily  aground. 

Next  day  the  "  Virginia "  had  a  protracted  but  indecisive  fight 
with  the  "Monitor;"  the  latter's  lightness  preventing  her  being  run 
down  and  both  vessels  seeming  equally  impenetrable.  Later  in  the 
day  the  victorious  ship  steamed  back  to  Norfolk,  amid  the  wildest 
enthusiasm  of  its  people.  The  experiment  had  proved  a  success  be- 
yond the  wildest  expectation:  and  a  new  era  seemed  opened  in  naval 
warfare. 

But  however  great  the  meed  of  praise  deserved  by  the  iron  ship 
and  her  crew,  at  least  as  much  was  due  to  those  of  the  wooden  gun- 
boats that  had  so  gallantly  seconded  her  efforts.  All  day  long  had 
those  frail  shells  been  urged  into  the  thickest  of  that  terrific  fire. 
Shot  flew  by,  over  and  through  them ;  and  it  seemed  miraculous  that 
they  were  not  torn  into  shreds  ! 

The  success  of  the  ' '  Virginia, "  while  it  gave  food  for  much  com- 


Four  Years  in  Rebel  Capitals.  267 

ment  at  the  North  and  in  Europe,  had  the  effect  of  stimulating  the 
Department  to  renewed  exertions  elsewhere.  At  the  same  time  it 
raised  the  navy  greatly  in  the  estimation  of  the  people,  who  began 
now  to  see  of  what  material  it  was  composed,  to  accomplish  so  much 
with  such  limited  means  and  opportunity.  And  this  opinion  was  to  be 
strengthened,  from  time  to  time,  by  the  brilliant  flashes  of  naval 
daring  that  came  to  illumine  some  of  the  darkest  hours  of  the  war. 

"V^ho  does  not  remember  that  defense  of  Drewry's  Bluff  when  Eben 
Farrand  had  only  three  gunboat  crews  and  three  hastily  mounted  guns, 
with  which  to  drive  back  the  heavy  fleet  that  knew  Richmond  city 
lay  helpless  at  its  mercy  ? 

And  those  desperate,  yet  brilliant  fights  off  New  Orleans,  against 
every  odds  of  metal,  numbers,  and  worse,  of  internal  mismanage- 
ment. Do  they  not  illustrate  the  character  of  the  navy,  and  bring  it 
out  in  bold  relief  of  heroism  ?  Nor  should  we  forget  the  brief  but 
brilliant  life  of  the  "  Arkansas" — born  in  danger  and  difficulty ;  sur- 
rounded on  every  side  by  numberless  active  foes  j  and  finally  dying, 
not  from  the  blow  of  an  enemy,  but  from  the  fault  of  those  who  sent 
her  forth  unfinished  and  incomplete  ! 

Those  trying  times  recall  the  conduct  of  Captain  Lynch  and  his 
squadron  of  shells ;  and  of  the  veteran  Cooke  in  the  batteries,  on 
the  dark  day  that  lost  Roanoke  Island.  Nor  may  we  lose  sight  of 
the  splendid  conduct  of  that  latter  grim  old  seadog,  when,  returning 
wounded  and  prison- worn,  he  bore  down  on  Plymouth  in  the  "Albe- 
marle  "  and  crushed  the  Federal  gunboats  like  egg-shells. 

And  conspicuous,  even  among  these  fellow-sailors,  stands  John 
Taylor  Wood.  Quick  to  plan  and  strong  to  strike,  he  ever  and  anon 
would  collect  a  few  trusty  men  and  picked  officers;  glide  silently 
out  from  Richmond,  where  his  duties  as  colonel  of  cavalry  on  the 
President's  staff  chained  him  most  of  the  time.  Soon  would  come 
an  echo  from  the  frontier,  telling  of  quick,  sharp  struggle;  victorious 
boarding  and  a  Federal  gunboat  or  two  given  to  the  flames.  I  have 
already  alluded  to  his  dashing  raid  upon  the  fishery  fleet ;  but  his 
cunning  capture  of  the  gunboats  in  the  Rappahannock,  or  his  cool 
and  daring  attack  on  the  "  Underwriter,"  during  Pickett's  move- 
ment on  Newberne,  would  alone  give  him  undying  reputation. 

The  United  States  had  a  navy  in  her  waters  that  would  class  as 
the  third  maritime  power  of  the  world ;  and  this  she  rapidly  increased 


268  Four  Years  in  Rebel  Capitals. 

by  every  appliance  of  money,  skill  and  energy.  She  bought  and 
built  ships  and  spent  vast  sums  and  labor  in  experiments  in  ord- 
nance, armoring  and  machinery.  As  result  of  this,  the  Federal 
navy,  at  the  end  of  the  second  year  of  the  war,  numbered  some 
390  vessels  of  all  grades,  carrying  a  fraction  over  3,000  guns.  Be- 
fore the  end  of  the  war  it  had  increased  to  near  800  vessels  of 
war  of  all  grades;  the  number  of  guns  had  doubled  and  were 
infinitely  heavier  and  more  effective;  and  the  number  of  .ten- 
ders, tugs,  transports  and  supply  ships  would  have  swelled  the  navy 
list  to  over  1,300  vessels. 

To  meet  this  formidable  preparation,  the  Confederate  Navy  De- 
partment in  May,  '61,  had  one  gulf  steamer  in  commission;  had  the 
fragments  of  the  Norfolk  Navy  Yard;  the  refuse  of  the  harbor  boats 
of  Charleston,  New  Orleans,  Savannah  and  Mobile  to  select  from ; 
and  had,  besides,  the  neglect  of  Congress  and  the  jealousy  of  the  other 
branch  of  the  service. 

Spite  of  all  these  drawbacks,  the  rare  powers  of  the  navy  officers 
forced  themselves  into  notice  and  use. 

Before  the  close  of  the  war,  the  only  two  rolling-mills  in  the  Con- 
federacy were  in  charge  of  navy  officers.  They  built  powder-mills 
and  supplied  their  own  demands;  and,  to  a  great  extent,  those  of 
the  army.  They  established  rope- walks  and  became  the  seekers  for 
the  invaluable  stores  of  niter  and  coal  that  both  branches  of  the  serv- 
ice so  much  needed.  More  than  this,  they  made  from  nothing — 
and  in  spite  of  constant  losses  from  exposure  to  the  enemy  and  in- 
complete supplies — a  fleet  of  iron-clads  numbering  at  one  time  nine 
vessels ;  and  a  wooden  navy  at  the  same  moment  reaching  some  thir- 
ty-five. 

But  these — scattered  over  the  vast  area  of  water  courses,  far  from 
supporting  each  other — were  unable  to  cope  with  the  superior  strength 
of  metal  and  construction  brought  against  them. 

That  much-discussed  torpedo  system,  too — regarding  the  utility 
of  which  there  was  such  diversity  of  opinion — had  its  birth  and  per- 
fection in  the  navy.  It  was  a  service  of  science  and  perseverance ; 
frequently  of  exposure  to  every  peril.  It  required  culture,  nerve  and 
administrative  ability;  and  it  was  managed  in  the  main  with  success. 
Still  the  results  were  hardly  commensurate  with  the  outlay  involved ; 
for  though  James  river,  some  of  the  western  streams,  and  Charleston 


Four  Years  in  Rebel  Capitals.  269 

harbor  were  literally  sown  with  torpedoes,  yet  only  in  rare  and 
isolated  instances — such  as  the  "  De  Kalb  "  and  "  Commodore  Jones  " 
— did  the  results  equal  the  expectation.  Thousands  of  tons  of 
valuable  powder,  much  good  metal  and  more  valuable  time  at  the 
work-shops  were  expended  on  torpedoes  j  and,  on  the  whole,  it  is  very 
doubtful  if  the  amount  destroyed  was  not  more  than  balanced  by  the 
amount  expended. 

Thus,  with  varying  fortunes — but  with  unceasing  endeav«ff  and  un- 
failing courage — the  navy  worked  on.  That  hue  and  cry  against  it — 
which  a  brilliant  success  would  partially  paralyze — soon  gathered  force 
in  its  intervals  of  enforced  inaction.  Just  after  the  triumph  of  Hamp- 
ton Roads  was,  perhaps,  the  brightest  hour  for  the  navy  in  public 
estimation.  People  then  began  to  waver  in  their  belief  that  its  admin- 
istration was  utterly  and  hopelessly  wrong ;  and  to  think  that  its  chief 
had  not  perhaps  sinned  quite  as  much  as  he  had  been  sinned  against. 

The  old  adage  about  giving  a  bad  name,  however,  was  more  than 
illustrated  in  Mr.  Mallory's  case.  He  had  no  doubt  been  unfortunate ; 
but  that  he  really  was  guilty  of  one-half  the  errors  and  mishaps  laid 
at  his  door  was  simply  impossible.  Not  taking  time — and,  perhaps, 
without  the  requisite  knowledge — to  compare  the  vast  discrepancy  of 
force  between  the  two  governments,  the  masses  only  saw  the  rapid 
increase  of  the  Federal  navy  and  felt  the  serious  effects  of  its  effi- 
ciency. Then  they  grumbled  that  the  Confederate  secretary — with 
few  work-shops,  scattered  navy-yards,  little  money  and  less  transpor- 
tation— did  not  proceed  part  passu  to  meet  these  preparations.  Every 
result  of  circumstance,  every  accident,  every  inefficiency  of  a  subor- 
dinate was  visited  upon  Mr.  Mallory's  head.  Public  censure  always 
makes  the  meat  it  feeds  on ;  and  the  secretary  soon  became  the  target 
for  shafts  of  pitiable  malice,  or  of  unreflecting  ridicule.  When  the 
enemy's  gunboats — built  at  secure  points  and  fitted  out  without  stint 
of  cost,  labor  or  material — ascended  to  Nashville,  a  howl  was  raised 
that  the  Navy  Department  should  have  had  the  water  defenses  ready. 
True,  Congress  had  appropriated  half  a  million  for  the  defenses  of 
the  Tennessee  and  Cumberland  rivers;  but  the  censorious  public 
forgot  that  the  money  had  been  voted  too  late.  Even  then  it  was 
quite  notorious,  that  in  the  red-tape  system  of  requisition  and  delay 
that  hedged  the  Treasury — an  appropriation  and  the  money  it  named 
were  totally  diverse  things. 


270  Four  Years  in  Rebel  Capitals. 

When  New  Orleans  fell,  curses  loud  and  deep  went  up  against  the 
Navy  Department.  Doubtless  there  was  some  want  of  energy  in  push- 
ing the  iron-clads  there ;  but  again  in  this  case  the  money  was  voted 
very  late;  and  even  Confederate  machine-shops  and  Confederate 
laborers  could  not  be  expected  to  give  their  material,  time  and  labor 
entirely  for  nothing.  Had  Congress  made  the  appropriations  as  asked, 
and  had  the  money  been  forthcoming  at  the  Treasury — New  Orleans 
might  riot  have  fallen  as  she  did. 

Later  still,  when  the  "Virginia"  was  blown  up  on  the  evacuation 
of  Norfolk,  a  howl  of  indignation  was  raised  against  Secretary,  De- 
partment and  all  connected  with  it.  A  Court  of  Inquiry  was  called ; 
and  Commodore  Tatnall  himself  demanded  a  court-martial,  upon  the 
first  court  not  ordering  one. 

The  facts  proved  were  that  the  ship,  with  her  iron  coating  and 
heavy  armament,  drew  far  too  much  water  to  pass  the  shoal  at  Har- 
rison's Bar — between  her  and  Richmond.  With  Norfolk  in  the  ene- 
my's hands,  the  hostile  fleet  pressing  her — and  with  no  point  whence 
to  draw  supplies — she  could  not  remain,  as  the  cant  went,  "the  grim 
sentinel  to  bar  all  access  to  the  river."  It  was  essential  to  lighten 
her,  if  possible ;  and  the  effort  was  made  by  sacrificing  her  splendid 
armament.  Even  then  she  would  not  lighten  enough  by  two  feet; 
the  enemy  pressed  upon  her,  now  perfectly  unarmed ;  and  Tatnall  was 
forced  to  leave  and  fire  her. 

People  forgot  the  noble  achievements  of  the  ship  under  naval  guid- 
ance ;  that,  if  destroyed  by  naval  men,  she  was  the  offspring  of  naval 
genius.  With  no  discussion  of  facts,  the  cry  against  the  navy  went 
on,  even  after  that  splendid  defense  of  Drewry's  Bluff  by  Farrand, 
which  alone  saved  Richmond ! 

As  a  pioneer,  the  "Virginia"  was  a  great  success  and  fully 
demonstrated  the  theory  of  her  projector.  But  there  were  many 
points  about  her  open  to  grave  objections ;  and  she  was,  as  a  whole, 
far  inferior  to  the  smaller  vessels  afterward  built  upon  her  model  at 
Richmond.  Armed  with  the  same  gun,  there  is  little  doubt  but  the 
"  Monitor"  would  have  proved — from  her  superior  lightness  and 
obedience  to  her  helm — no  less  than  from  her  more  compact  build — 
at  least  her  equal.  Officers  on  the  ' '  Virginia  "  shared  in  this  belief  of 
her  advantages  over  her  terrible  antagonist. 

On  the  whole,  the  experience  of  the  war  tells  of  honest  endeavor 


Four  Years  in  Rebel  Capitals.  271 

and  brilliant  achievement,  under  surpassing  difficulty,  for  the  Con- 
federate navy.  That  it  was  composed  of  gallant,  noble-hearted  men, 
none  who  were  thrown  with  them  can  doubt ;  that  they  wrought 
heart  and  hand  for  the  cause,  in  whatever  strange  and  novel  position, 
none  ever  did  doubt. 

They  made  mistakes.     Who  in  army,  or  government,  did  not  ? 

But  from  the  day  they  offered  their  swords ;  through  the  unequal 
contest  of  the  Sounds,  the  victorious  one  of  Hampton  Roads ;  pining 
for  the  sea  in  musty  offices,  or  drilling  green  conscripts  in  sand  bat- 
teries ;  marching  steadily  to  the  last  fight  at  Appomattox — far  out  of 
their  element — the  Confederate  sailors  flinched  not  from  fire  nor  fled 
from  duty.  Though  their  country  grumbled,  and  detraction  and  in- 
gratitude often  assailed  them ;  yet  at  the  bitter  ending  no  man  nor 
woman  m  the  broad  South  but  believed  they  had  done  their  devoir — 
honestly — manfully — well ! 

Who  in  all  that  goodly  throng  of  soldiers,  statesmen  and  critics — 
did  more  ? 


272  Four  Years  in  Rebel  Capitals. 


CHAPTER  XXXI. 

THE   CHINESE-WALL   BLOCKADE,    ABROAD    AND    AT    HOME. 

Potent  factor  in  sapping  the  foundations  of  Confederate  hope  and 
of  Confederate  credit,  was  the  blockade. 

First  held  in  contempt;  later  fruitful  mother  of  errors,  as  to  the 
movements  and  intentions  of  European  powers;  ever  the  growing 
constrictor — whose  coil  was  slowly,  but  surely,  to  crush  out  life — it 
became  each  year  harder  to  bear : — at  last  unbearable !  *.' 

At  first,  Mr.  Lincoln's  proclamation  was  laughed  to  scorn  at  the 
South.  The  vast  extent  of  South  Atlantic  and  Gulf  coast — pierced 
with  innumerable  safe  harbors — seemed  to  defy  any  scheme  for 
hermetic  sealing.  The  limited  Federal  navy  was  powerless  to  do 
more  than  keep  loose  watch  over  ports  of  a  few  large  cities ;  and, 
if  these  were  even  effectually  closed,  it  was  felt  that  new  ones  would 
open,  on  every  hand,  inviting  the  ventures  of  enterprising  sailors. 

This  reasoning  had  good  basis,  at  first;  and — had  the  South  made 
prompt  and  efficient  use  of  opportunity  and  resources  at  hand,  by 
placing  credits  abroad  and  running  in  essential  supplies — the  result 
of  the  first  year's  blockade  might  largely  have  nullified  its  effect,  for 
the  last  three.  But  there  seemed  indurated  contempt  for  the  safety- 
bearing  look  ahead;  and  its  very  inefficiency,  at  the  outset,  of  the 
blockade  lulled  the  South  into  false  security. 

The  preceding  pages  note  the  rapid  and  vast  growth  of  the  Union 
navy;  but  the  South  misjudged — until  error  had  proved  fatal — that 
enterprise  and  "grit"  of  Yankee  character;  that  fixed  steadiness  of 
purpose  which  forced  both,  ever,  into  most  resultful  effort.  And,  so 
gradual  were  appreciable  results  of  this  naval  growth ;  so  nearly  im- 
perceptible was  the  actual  closing  of  southern  ports — that  the  masses 
of  the  people  realized  no  real  evil,  until  it  had  long  been  accom- 
plished fact. 

Already  record  has  been  made  of  the  urgence  on  Government  of 
sending  cotton  abroad,  and  importing  arms,  munitions  and  clothing, 


Four  Years  in  Rebel  Capitals.  273 

which  ordinary  foresight  declared  so  needful.  But— only  when  the 
proper  moment  had  long  passed — was  the  then  doubtful  experiment 
made. 

A  twin  delusion  to  the  kingship  of  cotton  besotted  the  leaders  as 
to  the  blockade.  Arguing  its  illegality  equal  to  its  inefficiency,  they 
were  convinced  that  either  could  be  demonstrated  to  Europe.  And 
here  let  us  glance  briefly  at  the  South's  suicidal  foreign  policy ;  and 
at  the  feeling  of  other  people  regarding  it. 

Under  the  Treaty  of  Paris,  no  blockade  was  de  facto,  or  to  be 
recognized,  unless  it  was  demonstrated  to  be  effectual  closing  of  the 
port,  or  ports,  named.  Now,  in  the  South,  were  one  or  two  ships,  at 
most,  before  the  largest  ports;  with  an  average  of  one  vessel  for 
every  hundred  miles  of  coast!  And  so  inefficient  was  tlie  early 
blockade  of  Charleston,  Wilmington  and  New  Orleans,  that  traders 
ran  in  and  out,  actually  with  greater  frequency  than  before  those 
ports  were  proclaimed  closed.  Their  Government  declared — and  the 
southern  people  believed — that  such  nominal  blockade  would  not  be 
respected  by  European  powers ;  and  reliant  upon  the  kingship  of  cot- 
ton inducing  early  recognition,  both  believed  that  the  ships  of  Eng- 
land and  France — disregarding  the  impotent  paper  closure — would 
soon  crowd  southern  wharves  and  exchange  the  royal  fleece  for  the 
luxuries,  no  less  than  the  necessaries,  of  life. 

When  the  three  first  commissioners  to  Europe — Messrs.  Yancey, 
Rost  and  Mann — sailed  from  New  Orleans,  on  March  31,  '61,  their 
mission  was  hailed  as  harbinger  to  speedy  fruition  of  these  de- 
lusive thoughts,  to  which  the  wish  alone  was  father.  Then — though 
very  gradually — began  belief  that  they  had  reckoned  too  fast ;  and 
doubt  began  to  chill  glowing  hopes  of  immediate  recognition  from 
Europe.  But  there  was  none,  as  yet,  relative  to  her  ultimate  action. 
The  successful  trial  trip  of  the  "Nashville,"  Captain  Pegram,  C.  S. 
N. — and  her  warm  reception  by  the  British  press  and  people — pre- 
vented that.  And,  after  every  victory  of  the  South,  her  newspapers 
were  filled  with  praise  from  the  press  of  England.  But  gradually — 
as  recognition  did  not  come — first  wonder,  then  doubt,  and  finally 
despair  took  the  place  of  certainty. 

When  Mr.  Yancey  came  back,  in  disgust,  and  made  his  plain 
statement  of  the  true  state  of,  foreign  sentiment,  he  carried  public 
opinion  to  his  side;    and — while  the  Government  could  then  do 
18 


274  Four   Years  in  Rebel  Capitals. 

nothing  but  persist  ift  effort  for  recognition,  now  so  vital — the  people 
felt  that  dignity  was  uselessly  compromised,  while  their  powerless 
representatives  were  kept  abroad,  to  knock  weakly  at  the  back  door 
of  foreign  intervention. 

Slight  reaction  came,  when  Mason  and  Slidell  were  captured  on 
the  high  seas,  under  a  foreign  flag.  Mr.  Seward  so  boldly  defied  the 
rampant  Lion ;  Congress  so  promptly  voted  thanks  to  Captain  Wilkes, 
for  violating  international  law;  the  Secretary  of  the  Navy — after 
slyly  pulling  down  the  blinds — so  bravely  patted  him  on  the  back — 
that  the  South  renewed  her  hope,  in  the  seeming  certainty  of  war 
between  the  two  countries.  But  she  had  calculated  justly  neither  the 
power  of  retraction  in  American  policy,  nor  Secretary  Seward's  vast 
capacity  for  eating  his  own  words;  and  the  rendition  of  her  com- 
missioners— with  their  perfectly  quiet  landing  upon  British  soil — was, 
at  last,  accepted  as  sure  token  of  how  little  they  would  accomplish. 
And,  for  over  three  years,  those  commissioners  blundered  on  in  thick 
darkness — that  might  not  be  felt;  butting  their  heads  against  fixed 
policy  at  every  turn ;  snubbed  by  subordinates — to  whom  alone  they 
had  access;  yet  eating,  unsparingly  and  with  seeming  appetite,  the 
bountiful  banquet  of  cold  shoulder ! 

It  is  not  supposable  that  the  people  of  the  South  realized  to  the 
full  that  humiliation,  to  which  their  State  Department  was  subjecting 
them.  Occasionally  Mr.  Mason,  seeing  a  gleam  of  something  which 
might  some  day  be  light,  would  send  hopeful  despatches;  or  before 
the  hopeful  eyes  of  Mr.  Slidell,  would  rise  roseate  clouds  of  promise, 
light  with  bubbles  of  aid — intervention — recognition!  Strangely 
enough,  these  would  never  burst  until  just  after  their  description ;  and 
the  secretary  fostered  the  widest  latitude  in  press-rumors  thereanent, 
but  deemed  it  politic  to  forget  contradiction,  when — as  was  invariably 
the  case — the  next  blockade-runner  brought  flat  denial  of  all  that 
its  precedent  had  carried. 

Still,  constant  promises  with  no  fulfillment,  added  to  limited  private 
correspondence  with  foreign  capitals,  begat  mistrust  in  elusive  theories, 
which  was  rudely  changed  to  simple  certainty. 

Edwin  DeLeon  had  been  sent  by  Mr.  Davis  on  a  special  mission 
to  London  and  Paris,  after  Mr.  Yancey's  return;  his  action  to  be 
independent  of  the  regularly  established  futility.  In  August,  1863, 
full  despatches  from  him,  to  the  southern  President  and  State 


Four  Years  in  Rebel  Capitals.  275 

Department,  were  captured  and  published  in  the  New  York  papers. 
These  came  through  the  lines  and  gave  the  southern  people  the  full 
and  clear  expose  of  the  foreign  question,  as  it  had  long  been  fully 
and  clearly  known  to  their  government. 

This  publication  intensified  what  had  been  vague  opposition  to 
further  retention  abroad  of  the  commissioners.  The  people  felt 
that  their  national  honor  was  compromised;  and,  moreover,  they 
now  realized  that  Europe  had — and  would  have — but  one  policy  re- 
garding the  Confederacy. 

Diplomatically  regarded,  the  position  of  the  South  was  actually 
unprecedented.  Europe  felt  the  delicacy — and  equally  the  danger — 
of  interference  in  a  family  quarrel,  which  neither  her  theories  nor 
her  experience  had  taught  her  to  comprehend.  Naturally  jealous  of 
the  growing  power  of  the  American  Union,  Europe  may,  mcreover, 
have  heard  dictates  of  the  policy  of  letting  it  exhaust  itself,  in  this 
internal  feud ;  of  waiting  until  both  sides — weakened,  wearied  and 
worn  out — should  draw  off  from  the  struggle  and  make  intervention 
more  nominal  than  needful.  This  view  of  "strict  neutrality" — 
openly  vaunted  only  to  be  practically  violated — takes  color  from  the 
fact  of  her  permitting  each  side  to  hammer  away  at  the  other  for  four 
years,  without  one  word  even  of  protest ! 

Southern  prejudice  ever  inclined  more  favorably  toward  France 
than  England ;  the  scale  tilting,  perhaps,  by  weight  of  Franco-Latin 
influence  among  the  people,  perhaps  by  belief  in  the  suggested  theo- 
ries of  the  third  Napoleon.  Therefore,  intimations  of  French  recog- 
nition were  always  more  welcomed  than  false  rumors  about  English 
aid. 

In  the  North  also  prevailed  an  idea  that  France  might  intervene — 
or  even  recognize  the  Confederacy — before  colder  England;  but 
that  did  not  cause  impartial  Jonathan  to  exhibit  less  bitter,  or  unrea- 
soning, hatred  of  John  Bull.  Yet,  as  a  practical  fact,  the  alleged 
neutrality  of  the  latter  was  far  more  operative  against  the  South 
than  the  North.  For — omitting  early  recognition  of  a  blockade, 
invalid  under  the  Treaty  of  Paris — England  denied  both  belligerent 
navies  the  right  to  refit — or  bring  in  prizes — at  her  ports.  Now,  as 
the  United  States  had  open  ports  and  needed  no  such  grace,  while 
the  South  having  no  commerce  thus  afforded  no  prizes — every  point 
of  this  decision  was  against  her. 


276  Four  Years  in  Rebel  Capitals. 

Equally  favoring  the  North  was  the  winking  at  recruiting ;  for,  if 
men  were  not  actually  enlisted  on  British  soil  and  under  that  flag, 
thousands  of  "emigrants" — males  only;  with  expenses  and  bounty 
paid  by  United  States  recruiting  agents — were  poured  out  of  British 
territory  each  month. 

When  France  sent  her  circular  to  England  and  Russia,  suggesting 
that  the  time  had  come  for  mediation,  the  former  summarily  rejected 
the  proposition.  Besides,  England's  treatment  of  the  southern  com- 
missioners was  coldly  neglectful ;  and — from  the  beginning  to  the 
end  of  the  Confederacy,  the  sole  aid  she  received  from  England  was 
personal  sympathy  in  isolated  instances.  But  British  contractors  and 
traders  had  tacit  governmental  permission  to  build  ships  for  the  rebels, 
or  to  sell  them  arms  and  supplies,  at  their  own  risks.  And,  spite  of 
these  well-known  facts,  northern  buncombe  never  tired  of  assailing 
if  the  rebel  sympathies"  of  England! 

With  somewhat  of  race  sympathy  between  the  two  peoples,  the 
French  emperor's  movements  to  feel  the  pulse  of  Europe,  from  time 
to  time,  on  the  question  of  mediation,  kept  up  the  popular  delusion 
at  the  South.  This  was  shared,  to  a  certain  extent,  even  by  her 
government ;  and  Mr.  Slidell's  highly-colored  despatches  would  refan 
the  embers  of  hope  into  a  glow.  But  while  Napoleon,  the  Little, 
may  have  had  the  subtlest  head  in  Europe,  he  doubtless  had  the  hard- 
est ;  and  the  feeble  handling  by  the  southern  commissioner,  of  that 
edged-tool,  diplomacy,  could  have  aroused  only  amusement  in  those 
subordinate  officials,  whom  alone  he  reached. 

The  real  policy  of  France  was  doubtless,  from  the  beginning,  as 
fixed  as  was  that  of  England ;  and  though  she  may  have  hesitated,  for 
a  time,  at  the  tempting  bait  offered — monopoly  of  southern  cotton 
and  tobacco — the  reasons  coercing  that  policy  were  too  strong  to  let 
her  swallow  it  at  last. 

For  the  rest,  Russia  had  always  openly  sympathized  with  the 
North ;  and  other  European  nations  had  very  vague  notions  of  the 
merits  of  the  struggle ;  less  interest  in  its  termination ;  and  least  of 
all,  sympathy  with  what  to  them  was  mere  rebellion. 

And  this  true  condition  of  foreign  affairs,  the  Confederate  State 
Department  did  know,  in  great  part ;  should  have  known  in  detail ; 
and  owed  it  to  the  people  to  explain  and  promulgate.  But  for  some 
occult  reason,  Mr.  Benjamin  refused  to  view  the  European  land- 


Four  Years  in  Rebel  Capitals.  277 

scape,  except  through  the  Claude  Lorrain  glass  which  Mr.  Slidell 
persistently  held  up  before  him.  The  expos£  of  Mr.  Yancey,  the  few 
sturdy  truths  Mr.  Mason  later  told ;  and  the  detailed  resume  sent  by 
Mr.  DeLeon  and  printed  in  the  North — all  these  were  ignored ;  and 
the  wishes  of  the  whole  people  were  disregarded,  that  the  line  begun 
upon,  should  not  be  deviated  from.  There  may  have  been  some- 
thing deeply  underlying  this  policy ;  for  Secretary  Benjamin  was  clear- 
sighted, shrewd  and  well-informed.  But  what  that  something  was 
has  never  been  divulged ;  and  the  people — believing  the  Secretary 
too  able  to  be  deluded  by  his  subordinate — revolted. 

The  foreign  policy  grew  more  and  more  into  popular  disfavor; 
the  press  condemned  it,  in  no  stinted  terms ;  it  permeated  the  other 
branches  of  the  government  and,  finally,  reacted  upon  the  armies  in 
the  field.  For  the  growing  dislike  of  his  most  trusted  adviser  began 
to  affect  Mr.  Davis  ;  his  ready  assumption  of  all  responsibility  at  the 
beginning  having  taught  the  people  to  look  direct  to  him  for  all  of 
good,  or  of  evil,  alike. 

As  disaster  followed  disaster  to  southern  arms ;  as  one  fair  city 
after  another,  fell  into  the  lap  of  the  enemy ;  as  the  blockade  drew  its 
coil  tighter  and  tighter  about  the  vitals  of  the  Confederacy — the  cry 
of  the  people  was  raised  to  their  chief ;  demanding  the  cause  of  it  all. 
The  first  warm  impulses  of  patriotic  and  inflammable  masses  had 
pedestaled  him  as  a  demigod.  The  revulsion  was  gradual;  but, 
with  the  third  year  of  unrelieved  blockade,  it  became  complete. 
And  this  was  due,  in  part,  to  that  proclivity  of  masses  to  measure 
men  by  results,  rather  than  by  their  means  for  accomplishment ;  it 
was  due  in  greater  part,  perhaps,  to  the  President's  unyielding  refusal 
to  sacrifice  either  his  convictions,  or  his  favorites,  to  popular  clamor, 
however  re-enforced  by  argument,  or  reason. 

Mr.  Davis  certainly  seemed  to  rely  more  upon  Mr.  Benjamin  than 
any  member  of  his  Cabinet ;  and  the  public  laid  at  that  now  unpop- 
ular official's  door  all  errors  of  policy— domestic  as  well  as  foreign. 
Popular  wrath  ever  finds  a  scape-goat ;  but  in  the  very  darkest  hour 
Mr.  Benjamin  remained  placid  and  smiling,  his  brow  unclouded  and 
his  sleek,  pleasant  manner  deprecating  the  rumbling  of  the  storm  he 
had  raised,  by  his  accomplishments  and  sophistries.  When  his  re- 
moval was  clamorously  demanded  by  popular  voice,  his  chief  closed 
his  ears  and  moved  on  unheeding — grave — defiant ! 


278  Four  Years  in  Rebel  Capitals. 

Calm  retrospect  shows  that  the  Confederacy's  commissioners  were, 
from  first  to  last,  only  played  with  by  the  skilled  sophists  of  Europe. 
And,  ere  the  end  came,  that  absolute  conviction  penetrated  the 
blockade ;  convincing  the  South  that  her  policy  would  remain  one  of 
strict  non-intervention. 

After  each  marked  southern  success,  would  come  some  revival  of 
recognition  rumors ;  but  these  were  ever  coupled,  now,  with  an  im- 
portant "if!  "  If  New  Orleans  had  not  fallen;  if  we  had  won  An- 
tietam ;  if  Gettysburg  had  been  a  victory — then  we  might  have  been 
welcomed  into  the  family  of  nations.  But  over  the  mass  of  thinkers 
settled  the  dark  conviction  that  Europe  saw  her  best  interest,  in 
standing  by  to  watch  the  sections  rend  and  tear  each  other  to  the  ut- 
most. Every  fiber  either  lost  was  so  much  subtraction  from  that 
balance  of  power,  threatening  to  pass  across  the  Atlantic.  The 
greater  the  straits  to  which  we  reduce  each  other,  said  the  South,  the 
better  will  it  please  Europe;  and  the  only  faith  in  her  at  last,  was 
that  she  hoped  to  see  the  breach  permanent  and  irreconcilable,  and 
with  it  all  hopes  of  rival  power  die ! 

If  the  theory  be  correct,  that  it  was  the  intent  of  the  Great  Powers 
to  foster  the  chance  of  two  rival  governments  on  this  continent,  it 
seems  short-sighted  in  one  regard.  For — had  they  really  recognized 
the  dire  extremity,  to  which  the  South  was  at  last  brought,  they 
should  either  have  furnished  her  means,  directly  or  indirectly,  to 
prolong  the  strife;  or  should  have  intervened  and  established  a 
broken  and  shattered  duality,  in  place  of  the  stable  and  recemented 
Union. 

Nor  can  thinkers,  on  either  side,  cavil  at  Europe's  policy  during 
that  war;  calculating,  selfish  and  cruel  as  it  may  seem  to  the  senti- 
mentalist. If  corporations  really  have  no  bowels,  governments  can 
not  be  looked  to  for  nerves.  Interest  is  the  life  blood  of  their 
systems ;  and  interest  was  doubtless  best  subserved  by  the  course  of 
the  Great  Powers.  For  the  rumors  of  destitution  and  of  disaffection 
in  France  and  England — caused  by  the  blockade-begotten  "cotton 
famine — that  crept  through  the  Chinese  wall,  were  absurdly  magnified, 
both  as  to  their  proportions  and  their  results.  And  the  sequel  proved 
that  it  was  far  cheaper  for  either  nation  to  feed  a  few  thousand  idle 
operatives — or  to  quell  a  few  incipient  bread  riots — than  to  unsettle  a 
fixed  policy,  and  that  at  the  risk  of  a  costly  foreign  war. 


Four   Years  in  Rebel  Capitals.  279 

There  was  bitter  disappointment  in  the  South,  immediately  suc- 
ceeding dissipation  of  these  rosy,  but  nebulous,  hopes  in  the  kingship 
of  cotton.  Then  reaction  came — strong,  general  and  fruitful.  Sturdy 
11  Johnny  Reb"  yearned  for  British  rifles,  shoes,  blankets  and  bacon; 
but  he  wanted  them  most  of  all,  to  win  his  own  independence  and  to 
force  its  recognition ! 

There  are  optimists  everywhere;  and  even  the  dark  days  of  Dixie 
proved  no  exception  to  the  rule.  It  was  not  unusual  to  hear  prate  of 
the  vast  benefits  derived  from  the  blockade ;  of  the  energy,  resource 
and  production,  expressed  under  its  cruel  constriction !  Such  opti- 
mists— equally  at  fault  as  were  their  pessimistic  opponents — pointed 
proudly  to  the  powder-mills,  blast-furnaces,  foundries  and  rolling- 
mills,  springing  up  on  every  hand.  They  saw  the  great  truth  that  the 
internal  resources  of  the  South  developed  with  amazing  rapidity ;  that 
arms  were  manufactured  and  supplies  of  vital  need  created,  as  it  were 
out  of  nothing;  but  they  missed  the  true  reason  for  that  abnormal 
development,  which  was  the  dire  stress  from  isolation.  They  rejoiced 
to  very  elation  at  a  popular  effort,  spontaneous — unanimous — su- 
preme !  But  they  realized  little  that  it  was  exhaustive  as  well. 

Could  these  life-needs  the  South  was  compelled  to  create  within, 
have  been  procured  from  without,  they  had  not  alone  been  far  less 
costly  in  time,  labor  and  money — but  the  many  hands  called  from 
work  equally  as  vital  had  not  then  been  diverted  from  it.  The  South 
was  self-supporting,  as  the  hibernator  that  crawls  into  a  stump  to  sub- 
sist upon  its  own  fat.  But  that  stump  is  not  sealed  up,  and  Bruin — 
who  goes  to  bed  in  autumn,  sleek  and  round,  to  come  out  a  skeleton 
at  springtime— quickly  reproduces  lost  tissue.  With  the  South,  ma- 
terial once  consumed  was  gone  forever ;  and  the  drain  upon  her 
people — material — mental — moral — was  permanent  and  fatal. 

One  reason  why  the  result  of  the  blockade — after  it  became 
actually  effective — was  not  earlier  realized  generally  at  the  South,  was 
that  private  speculation  promptly  utilized  opportunities,  which  the 
Government  had  neglected.  What  appeared  huge  overstock  of  clotfr- 
ing  and  other  prime  necessities  had  been  "run  in,"  while  there 
was  yet  time ;  and  before  they  had  advanced  in  price,  under  quick 
depreciation  of  paper  money.  Then  profits  doubled  so  rapidly  that 
— spite  of  their  enhanced  risk  from  mere  effective  blockade — private 
ventures,  and  even  great  companies  formed  for  the  purpose,  made 


280  Four  Years  in  Rebel  Capitals. 

' '  blockade-breaking  "  the  royal  road  to  riches.  Almost  every  con- 
ceivable article  of  merchandise  came  to  southern  ports;  often  in 
quantities  apparently  sufficient  to  glut  the  market — almost  always  of 
inferior  quality  and  manufactured  specially  for  the  great,  but  cheap, 
trade  now  sprung  up. 

Earlier  ventures  were  content  with  profit  of  one,  or  two  hundred 
per  cent.;  calculating  thus  for  a  ship  and  cargo,  occasionally  captured. 
But  as  such  risk  increased  and  Confederate  money  depreciated,  per- 
centage on  blockade  ventures  ran  up  in  compound  ratio ;  and  it  be- 
came no  unusual  thing  for  a  successful  investment  to  realize  from 
fifteen  hundred  to  two  thousand  per  cent,  on  its  first  cost. 

Still,  even  this  profit  as  against  the  average  of  loss — perhaps  two 
cargoes  out  of  five — together  with  the  uncertain  value  of  paper  money, 
left  the  trade  hazardous.  Only  great  capital,  ready  to  renew  promptly 
every  loss,  could  supply  the  demand — heretofore  shown  to  have 
grown  morbid,  under  lost  faith  in  governmental  credit.  Hence  sprung 
the  great  blockade-breaking  corporations,  like  the  Bee  Company, 
Collie  &  Co.,  or  Fraser,  Trenholm  &  Co.  With  capital  and  credit  un- 
limited; with  branches  at  every  point  of  purchase,  reshipment  and 
entry ;  with  constantly  growing  orders  from  the  departments — these 
giant  concerns  could  control  the  market  and  make  their  own  terms. 
Their  growing  power  soon  became  quasi  dictation  to  Govern- 
ment itself;  the  national  power  was  filtered  through  these  alien 
arteries;  and  the  South  became  the  victim — its  Treasury  the  mere 
catspaw— of  the  selfsame  system,  which  clear  sight  and  medium 
ability  could  so  easily  have  averted  from  the  beginning ! 

Even  when  pressure  for  supplies  was  most  dire  and  Govern- 
ment had  become  almost  wholly  dependent  for  them  upon  the  monop- 
oly octopus — it  would  not  move.  Deaf  to  urgent  appeals  of  its 
trusted  officers,  to  establish  a  system  of  light,  swift  blockade-run- 
ners, the  Department  admitted  their  practical  necessity,  by  entering 
into  a  limited  partnership  with  a  blockade-breaking  firm.  And,  it 
must  go  without  saying  that  the  bargain  driven  was  like  the  boy's : 
"  You  and  I  will  each  take  half  and  the  rest  we'll  give  to  Anne !" 

As  noted,  in  considering  finance,  the  mania  for  exchanging  paper 
money  for  something  that  could  be  enjoyed,  grew  apace  as  the  war 
progressed.  Fancy  articles  for  dress,  table  luxuries  and  frippery  of 
all  sorts  came  now  into  great  demand.  Their  importation  increased 


Four  Years  in  Rebel  Capitals.  281 

to  such  bulk  as,  at  last,  to  exclude  the  more  necessary  parts  of  most 
cargoes ;  and  not  less  to  threaten  complete  demoralization  of  such  mi- 
nority as  made  any  money.  It  may  seem  a  grim  joke ; — the  starv- 
ing, tattered — moribund  Confederacy  passing  sumptuary  laws,  as  had 
Venice  in  her  recklessness  of  riches !  But,  in  1864,  a  law  was 
necessitated  against  importation  of  all  articles,  not  of  utility;  for- 
bidden luxuries  being  named  per  schedule.  That  its  constant  evasion 
— if  not  its  open  defiance — was  very  simple,  may  be  understood; 
for  the  blockade  firms  had  now  become  a  power  coequal  with  Gov- 
ernment, and  exceptions  were  listed,  sufficient  to  become  the  rule. 

And  so  the  leeches  waxed  fat  and  flourished  on  the  very  life- 
blood  of  the  cause,  that  represented  to  them — opportunity!  And, 
whatever  has  been  said  of  speculators  at  Richmond,  they  were  far 
less  culpable  than  these,  their  chiefs;  for,  without  the  arch-priests 
of  greed,  speculation  would  have  died  from  inanition.  The  specula- 
tors were  most  hungry  kites ;  but  their  maws  were  crammed  by  the 
great  vultures  that  sat  at  the  coast,  blinking  ever  out  over  the  sea  for 
fresh  gains ;  with  never  a  backward  glance  at  the  gaunt,  grim  legions 
behind  them — naked — worn — famished,  but  unconquered  still ! 

Transportation  needs  have  been  noted,  also.  No  department  was 
worse  neglected  and  mismanaged  than  that.  The  existence  of  the 
Virginia  army  wholly  depended  on  a  single  line,  close  to  the  coast 
and  easily  tapped.  Nor  did  Government's  seizure  of  its  control,  in 
any  manner  remedy  the  evil.  Often  and  again,  the  troops  around 
Richmond  were  without  beef — once  for  twelve  days  at  a  time;  they 
were  often  without  flour,  molasses  or  salt,  living  for  days  upon  corn- 
meal  alone !  and  the  ever-ready  excuse  was  want  of  transportation  ! 

Thousands  of  bushels  of  grain  would  ferment  and  rot  at  one  sta- 
tion ;  hundreds  of  barrels  of  meat  stacked  at  another,  while  the  army 
starved  because  of  "no  transportation !  "  But  who  recalls  the  arrival 
of  a  blockader  at  Charleston,  Savannah,  or  Wilmington,  when  its  vent- 
ures were  not  exposed  at  the  auctions  of  Richmond,  in  time  un- 
reasonably short ! 

These  facts  are  not  recalled  in  carping  spirit ;  nor  to  pronounce 
judgment  just  where  the  blame  fcr  gross  mismanagement,  or  favorit- 
ism should  lie.  They  are  recorded  because  they  are  historic  truth; 
because  the  people,  whom  they  oppressed  and  ruined — saw,  felt  and 
angrily  proclaimed  them  so ;  because  the  blockade  mismanagement 
was  twin-destroyer  with  the  finance,  of  the  southern  cause. 


282  Four  Years  in  Rebel  Capitals. 

The  once  fair  cities  of  Charleston,  Savannah  and  Wilmington 
suffered  most  from  the  blockade,  both  in  destruction  of  property  and 
demoralization  of  their  populations.  The  first — as  "hot-bed  of  trea- 
son "  and  equally  from  strategic  importance — was  early  a  point  of 
Federal  desire ;  but  the  fleet  had  been  compelled  to  stand  idly  by 
and  witness  the  bloodless  reduction  of  Sumter.  Later — when  strength- 
ened armaments  threatened  constant  attack — Lee  and  Beauregard 
had  used  every  resource  to  strengthen  defenses  of  the  still  open  port. 
What  success  they  had,  is  told  by  the  tedious  and  persistent  bombard- 
ment— perhaps  unexampled  in  the  history  of  gunnery ;  surely  so  in 
devices  to  injure  non-combatant  inhabitants. 

On  the  3oth  January,  '63,  the-  two  slow,  clumsy  and  badly-built 
rams,  under  Captain  Ingraham — of  Martin  Koszta  fame — attacked  the 
blockading  squadron  and  drove  the  Union  flag  completely  from  the 
harbor;  but  re-enforced  by  iron-clads,  it  returned  on  the  yth  of  April. 
Again,  after  a  fierce  battle  with  the  fort,  the  Federal  fleet  drew  off, 
leaving  the  "  Keokuk  "  monitor  sunk;  only  to  concentrate  troops 
and  build  heavy  batteries,  for  persistent  attempt  to  reduce  the  de- 
voted city.  The  history  of  that  stubborn  siege  and  defense,  more 
stubborn  still;  of  the  woman-shelling  "  swamp- angel"  and  the 
"Greek-fire;"  of  the  deeds  of  prowess  that  gleamed  from  the 
crumbling  walls  of  Charleston — all  this  is  too  familiar  for  repetition. 
Yet,  ever  and  again — through  wooden  mesh  of  the  blockade-net  and 
its  iron  links,  alike — slipped  a  fleet,  arrowy  little  blockader  into  port. 
And  with  what  result  has  just  been  seen ! 

Wilmington — from  long  and  shoal  approach  to  her  proper  peat — 
was  more  difficult  still  to  seal  up  effectually.  There — long  after 
every  other  port  was  closed — the  desperate,  but  wary,  sea-pigeon 
would  evade  the  big  and  surly  watcher  on  the  coast.  Light  draught, 
narrow,  low  in  the  water,  swift  and  painted  black — these  little  steam- 
ers were  commanded  by  men  who  knew  erery  inch  of  coast ;  who 
knew  equally  that  on  them  depended  life  and  death — or  more.  With 
banked  fires  and  scarce-turning  wheels,  they  would  drop  down  the 
Cape  Fear,  at  night,  to  within  a  hundred  yards  of  the  looming  block- 
ade giant.  Then,  putting  on  all  steam,  they  would  rush  by  him, 
trusting  to  speed  and  surprise  to  elude  pursuit  and  distract  his  aim — 
and  ho  !  for  the  open  sea. 

This  was  a   service   of  keen  excitement  and  constant  danger; 


Four  Years  in  Rebel  Capitals.  283 

demanding  clear  heads  and  iron  nerves.  Both  were  forthcoming, 
especially  from  navy  volunteers;  and  many  were  "  the  hair-breadth 
'scapes"  that  made  the  names  of  Maffit,  Wilkinson  and  their  con- 
freres, household  words  among  the  rough  sea-dogs  of  Wilmington. 

Savannah  suffered  least  of  the  fair  Atlantic  sisterhood,  from  the 
blockade.  The  early  capture  of  her  river  forts  blocked  access  to  her 
wharves,  almost  effectually ;  though  occasional  steamers  still  slipped 
up  to  them.  Yet,  she  was  in  such  easy  reach  of  her  more  open  neigh- 
bors, as  to  reap  part  of  the  bad  fruits  with  which  they  were  so  over- 
stocked. 

These  proud  southern  cities  had  ever  been  famed  throughout  the 
land,  for  purity,  high  tone  and  unyielding  pride.  At  the  first  bugle- 
blast,  their  men  had  sprung  to  arms  with  one  accord;  and  the  best 
blood  of  Georgia  and  the  Carolinas  was  poured  out  from  Munson's 
Hill  to  Chickamauga.  Their  devoted  women  pinched  themselves  and 
stripped  their  homes,  to  aid  the  cause  so  sacred  to  them;  and  on  the 
burning  sand-hills  of  Charleston  harbor,  grandsire  and  grandson 
wrought  side  by  side  under  blistering  sun  and  galling  fire  alike ! 

How  bitter,  then,  for  those  devoted  and  mourning  cities  to  see 
their  sacred  places  made  mere  marts ;  their  cherished  fame  jeopar- 
died  by  refuse  stay-at-homes,  or  transient  aliens ;  while  vile  specula- 
tion— ineffably  greedy,  when  not  boldly  dishonest — smirched  them 
with  lowest  vices  of  the  lust  for  gain !  Shot-riddled  Charleston — ex- 
posed and  devastated — invited  nothing  beyond  the  sterner  business 
of  money-getting.  There,  was  offered  neither  the  leisure  nor  safety 
for  that  growth  of  luxury  and  riotous  living,  which  at  one  time 
possessed  Wilmington. 

Into  that  blockade  mart  would  enter  four  ships  to  one  at  any  other 
port ;  speculators  of  all  grades  and  greediness  flocked  to  meet  them ; 
and  money  was  poured  into  the  once-quiet  town  by  the  million. 
And,  with  tastes  restricted  elsewhere,  these  alien  crowds  reveled  in 
foreign  delicacies,  edibles  and  liquors,  of  which  every  cargo  was 
largely  made  up.  The  lowest  attache  of  a  blockade-runner  became 
a  man  of  mark  and  lived  in  luxury ;  the  people  caught  the  infection 
and — where  they  could  not  follow — envied  the  fearful  example  set  by 
the  establishments  of  the  "merchant  princes." 

Was  it  strange  that  the  people  of  leaguered  Richmond — that 
the  worn  hero  starving  in  the  trench  at  Petersburg — came  to  execrate 


284  Four  Years  in  Rebel  Capitals. 

those  vampires  fattening  on  their  life-blood ;  came  to  regard  the  very 
name  of  blockade-runner  as  a  stench  and  the  government  that  leagued 
with  it  as  a  reproach  ?  For  strangely-colored  exaggerations  of  luxury 
and  license  were  brought  away  by  visitors  near  the  centers  of  the 
only  commerce  left.  Well  might  the  soul  of  the  soldier — frying  his 
scant  ration  of  moldy  bacon  and  grieving  over  still  more  scant  sup- 
ply at  his  distant  home — wax  wroth  over  stories  of  Southdown  mut- 
ton, brought  in  ice  from  England;  of  dinners  where  the  pates  of 
Strasbourg  and  the  fruits  of  the  East  were  washed  down  with  rare 
Champagne. 

Bitter,  indeed,  it  seemed,  that — while  he  crawled,  footsore  and 
faint,  to  slake  his  thirst  from  the  roadside  pool — while  the  dear  ones 
at  home  kept  in  shivering  life  with  cornbread — degenerate  southerners 
and  foreign  leeches  reveled  in  luxury  untold,  from  the  very  gain 
that  caused  such  privation ! 

This  misuse  of  that  blockade-running — which  strongly  handled  had 
proved  such  potent  agency  for  good — bred  infinite  discontent  in  army 
and  in  people  alike.  That  misdirection — and  its  twin,  mismanage- 
ment of  finance — aided  to  strangle  prematurely  the  young  giant  they 
might  have  nourished  into  strength ; — 

"And  the  spirit  of  murder  worked  in  the  very  means  of  life  ! " 

But  the  Chinese-wall  blockade  was  tripartite;  not  confined  to 
closing  of  the  ocean  ports.  Almost  as  damaging,  in  another  regard, 
were  the  occupation  of  New  Orleans,  and  the  final  stoppage  of  com- 
munication with  the  trans-Mississippi  by  the  capture  of  Vicksburg. 

The  Heroic  City  had  long  been  sole  point  of  contact  with  the  vast 
productive  tracts,  beyond  the  great  river.  The  story  were  twice- 
told  of  a  resistance — unequaled  even  by  that  at  Charleston  and  be- 
ginning with  first  Union  access  to  the  river,  by  way  of  New  Orleans. 
But,  in  May,  '62,  the  combined  fleets  of  Porter  and  Farragut  from 
the  South,  and  Davis  from  the  North,  rained  shot  and  shell  into  the 
coveted  town  for  six  terrible  weeks.  Failing  reduction,  they  with- 
drew on  June  24th ;  leaving  her  banners  inscribed —  Vicksburg  victrix  ! 

In  May  of  the  next  year,  another  concentration  was  made  on  the 
"key  of  the  Mississippi;"  General  Grant  marching  his  army  one 
hundred  and  fifty  miles  from  its  base,  to  get  in  rear  of  Vicksburg 
and  cut  off  its  relief.  The  very  audacity  of  this  plan  may  blind  the 
careless  thinker  to  its  bad  generalship ;  especially  in  view  of  the  sue- 


Four  Years  in  Rebel  Capitals.  285 

cess  that  at  last  crowned  its  projector's  hammer-and-tongs  style  of 
tactics.  His  reckless  and  ill-handled  assaults  upon  the  strong  works 
at  Vicksburg — so  freely  criticised  on  his  own  side,  by  army  and  by 
press — were  but  preface  of  a  volume,  so  bloodily  written  to  the  end 
before  Petersburg. 

Under  ordinary  combinations,  Johnston  had  found  it  easy  tc* 
crush  Grant  and  prevent  even  his  escape  to  the  distant  base  behind 
him.  But,  unhappily,  Government  would  not  re-enforce  Johnston — 
even  to  the  very  limited  extent  it  might ;  and  Mr.  Davis  promoted 
Pemberton  to  a  lieutenant-generalcy  and  sent  him  to  Vicksburg. 
But  this  is  no  place  to  discuss  General  Pemberton's  abilities — his 
alleged  disobedience  of  orders — the  disasters  of  Baker's  creek  and 
Big  Black ;  or  his  shutting  up  in  Vicksburg,  hopeless  of  relief  from 
Johnston.  Suffice  it,  the  dismal  echo  of  falling  Vicksburg  supple- 
mented the  gloom  after  Gettysburg;  and  the  swift-following  loss  of 
Port  Hudson  completed  the  blockade  of  the  Mississippi;  and  made 
the  trans-river  territory  a  foreign  land ! 

The  coast  of  Maine  met  the  waters  of  the  Ohio,  at  the  mouth  of 
the  Mississippi ;  and  two  sides  of  the  blockade  triangle  were  com- 
pleted, almost  impervious  even  to  rebel  ingenuity  and  audacity.  It 
needed  but  careful  guard  over  the  third  side — the  inland  border  from 
river  to  coast — to  seal  up  the  South  hermetically,  and  perfect  her  iso- 
lation. 

That  perfection  had  long  been  attempted.  Fleets  of  gunboats 
ploughed  the  Potomac  and  all  inland  water-approaches  to  the  south- 
ern frontier.  A  shrewd  detective  system,  ramifying  from  Washing- 
ton, penetrated  the  "disaffected"  counties  of  Maryland;  spying 
equally  upon  shore  and  household.  The  borders  of  Tennessee  and 
Kentucky  were  closely  picketed ;  and  no  means  of  cunning,  or  perse- 
verance, were  omitted  to  prevent  the  passage  of  anything  living,  or 
useful,  into  the  South.  But  none  of  this  availed  against  the  untir- 
ing pluck  and  audacity  of  the  inland  blockade-breakers.  Daily  the 
lines  were  forced,  spies  evaded,  and  bold  "Johnny  Reb"  passed  back 
and  forth,  in  almost  guaranteed  security. 

Such  ventures  brought  small  supplies  of  much-needed  medicines, 
surgical  instruments  and  necessaries  for  the  sick.  They  brought 
northern  newspapers — and  often  despatches  and  cipher  letters  of  im- 
mense value ;  and  they  ever  had  tidings  from  home  that  made  the 


a86  Four  Years  in  Rebel  Capitals. 

heart  of  exiled  Mary  lander,  or  border  statesman  sing  for  joy,  even 
amid  the  night-watches  of  a  winter  camp. 

Gradually  this  system  of  "running  the  bloc."  systematized  and 
received  governmental  sanction.  Regular  corps  of  spies,  letter-carriers 
and  small  purchasing  agents  were  organized  and  recognized  by  army 
commanders.  Naturally,  these  also  made  hay  while  the  sun  shone; 
coming  back  never — whatever  their  mission — with  empty  hands. 
Shoes,  cloth,  even  arms — manufactured  under  the  very  noses  of  north- 
ern detectives  and,  possibly,  with  their  connivance — found  ever-ready 
sale.  The  runners  became  men  of  mark — many  of  them  men  of 
money ;  for,  while  this  branch  never  demoralized  like  its  big  rival  on 
the  coast,  the  service  of  Government  was  cannily  mixed  with  the  serv- 
ice of  Mammon. 

Late  in  the  war — when  all  ports  were  closed  to  its  communication 
with  agents  abroad,  the  Richmond  Government  perfected  this  spy 
system,  in  connection  with  its  signal  corps.  This  service  gave  scope 
for  tact,  fertility  of  resource  and  cool  courage ;  it  gave  many  a  brave 
fellow,  familiar  with  both  borders,  relief  from  camp  monotony,  in  the 
fresh  dangers  through  which  he  won  a  glimpse  of  home  again ;  and  it 
gave  a  vast  mass  of  crude,  conflicting  information,  such  as  must  come 
from  rumors  collected  by  men  in  hiding.  But  its  most  singular  and 
most  romantic  aspect  was  the  well-known  fact,  that  many  women 
essayed  the  breaking  of  the  border  blockade.  Almost  all  of  them 
were  successful ;  more  than  one  well  nigh  invaluable,  for  the  informa- 
tion she  brought,  sewed  in  her  riding-habit,  or  coiled  in  her  hair. 
Nor  were  these  coarse  camp-women,  or  reckless  adventurers.  Belle 
Boyd's  name  became  historic  as  Moll  Pitcher;  but  others  are  recalled 
— petted  belles  in  the  society  of  Baltimore,  Washington  and  Virginia 
summer  resorts  of  yore — who  rode  through  night  and  peril  alike,  to 
carry  tidings  of  cheer  home  and  bring  back  news  that  woman  may 
best  acquire.  New  York,  Baltimore  and  Washington  to-day  boast  of 
three  beautiful  and  gifted  women,  high  in  their  social  ranks,  who 
could — if  they  would — recite  tales  of  lonely  race  and  perilous  advent- 
ure, to  raise  the  hair  of  the  budding  beaux  about  them. 

But  it  may  be  that  the  real  benefits  of  "running  the  bloc."  were 
counterbalanced  by  inseparable  evils.  The  enhancement  of  prices 
and  consequent  depreciation  of  currency  may  not  have  felt  this 
system  appreciably;  but  it  tempted  immigration  of  the  adventurous 


Four  Years  in  Rebel  Capitals.  287 

and  vicious  classes,  while  it  presented  the  anomaly  of  a  government 
trading  on  its  enemy's  currency  to  depreciation  of  its  own.  For  the 
trade  demanded  greenbacks;  and  the  Confederacy  bought  these — 
often  the  product  of  illicit  traffic — from  the  runners  themselves,  at 
from  twenty  to  one  thousand  dollars  C.  S.,  for  one  U.  S. ! 

Such  is  the  brief,  and  necessarily  imperfect,  glance  at  the  triple 
blockade,  which  steadily  aided  the  process  of  exhaustion  and  ruin  at 
the  South.  Such  were  its  undeniable  effects  upon  the  Government 
and  the  people.  And  that  these,  in  part  at  least,  might  have  been 
averted  by  bold  foresight  and  prompt  action — while  the  blockade  was 
yet  but  paper — is  equally  undeniable ! 

With  this,  as  with  most  salient  features  of  that  bitter — gallant — 
enduring  struggle  for  life ;  with  it,  as  in  most  mundane  retrospects — 
the  saddest  memories  must  ever  cluster  about  the  "might  have 
been!" 


288  Four   Years  in  Rebel  Capitals. 


CHAPTER  XXXil. 

PRESS,    LITERATURE   AND   ART. 

However  much  of  ability  may  have  been  engaged  upon  it,  the  press 
of  the  South — up  to  the  events  just  preceding  the  war — had  scarcely 
been  that  great  lever  which  it  had  elsewhere  become.  It  was  rather 
a  local  machine  than  a  great  engine  for  shaping  and  manufacturing 
public  opinion. 

One  main  cause  for  this,  perhaps,  was  the  decentralization  of  the 
South.  Tracts  of  country  surrounding  it  looked  up  only  to  their 
chief  city,  and  thence  drew  their  information,  and  even  their  ideas 
on  the  topics  of  the  day.  But  there  it  ceased.  The  principal  trade 
of  the  South  went  directly  to  the  North ;  and  in  return  were  received 
northern  manufactures,  northern  books  and  northern  ideas.  North- 
ern newspapers  came  to  the  South ;  and  except  for  matters  of  local 
information,  or  local  policy,  a  large  class  of  her  readers  drew  their 
inspiration  chiefly  from  journals  of  New  York — catholic  in  their 
scope  as  unreliable  in  their  principles. 

These  papers  were  far  ahead  of  those  of  the  South — except  in  very 
rare  instances — in  their  machinery  for  collecting  news  and  gossip; 
for  making  up  a  taking  whole ;  and  in  the  no  less  important  knowl- 
edge of  manipulating  their  circulation  and  advertising  patronage. 
The  newspaper  system  of  the  North  had  been  reduced  to  a  science. 
Its  great  object  was  to  pay ;  and  to  accomplish  this  it  must  force  its 
circulation  in  numbers  and  in  radius,  and  must  become  the  medium 
of  communicating  with  far  distant  points.  Great  competition — appli- 
cation of  il  faut  b:en  vivre — drove  the  drones  from  the  field  and  only 
the  real  workers  were  allowed  to  live. 

In  the  South  the  case  was  entirely  different.  Even  in  the  large 
cities,  newspapers  were  content  with  a  local  circulation ;  they  had  a  lit- 
tle-varying clientele  which  looked  upon  them  as  infallible ;  and  their 
object  was  to  consider  and  digest  ideas,  rather  than  to  propagate,  or 
manufacture  them. 


Four  Years  in  Rebel  Capitals. 

The  deep  and  universal  interest  in  questions  immediately  preced- 
ing the  war,  somewhat  changed  in  the  scope  of  the  southern  press. 
People  in  all  sections  had  intense  anxiety  to  know  what  others,  in 
different  sections,  felt  on  vital  questions  that  agitated  them;  and 
papers  were  thus  forced,  as  it  were,  into  becoming  the  medium  for 
interchange  of  sentiment. 

An  examination  of  the  leading  journals  of  the  South  at  this  period 
will  show  that — whatever  their  mismanagement  and  want  of  business 
success — there  was  no  lack  of  ability  in  their  editorial  columns. 
Such  organs  as  the  New  Orleans  Delta,  Mobile  Advertiser,  Charleston 
Mercury  and  Richmond  Examiner  and  Whig  might  have  taken  rank 
alongside  of  the  best-edited  papers  of  the  country.  Their  literary 
ability  was,  perhaps,  greater  than  that  of  the  North ;  their  discus- 
sions of  the  questions  of  the  hour  were  clear,  strong  and  scholarly, 
and  possessed,  besides,  the  invaluable  quality  of  honest  conviction. 
Unlike  the  press  of  the  North,  the  southern  journals  were  not  hamp- 
ered by  any  business  interests ;  they  were  unbiased,  unbought  and 
free  to  say  what  they  thought  and  felt.  And  say  it  they  did,  in  the 
boldest  and  plainest  of  language. 

Nowhere  on  the  globe  was  the  freedom  of  the  press  more  thor- 
oughly vindicated  than  in  the  Southern  States  of  America.  And 
during  the  whole  course  of  the  war,  criticisms  of  men  and  measures 
were  constant  and  outspoken.  So  much  so,  indeed,  that  in  many 
instances  the  operations  of  the  Government  were  embarrassed,  or  the 
action  of  a  department  commander  seriously  hampered,  by  hostile 
criticism  in  a  paper.  In  naval  operations,  and  the  workings  of  the 
Conscript  Law,  especially  was  this  freedom  felt  to  be  injurious ;  and 
though  it  sprang  from  the  perfectly  pure  motive  of  doing  the  best  for 
the  cause — though  the  smallest  southern  journal,  printed  on  straw 
paper  and  with  worn-out  type,  was  above  purchase,  or  hush  money — 
still  it  might  have  been  better  at  times  had  gag-law  been  applied. 

For,  with  a  large  proportion  of  the  population  of  different  sections 
gathered  in  huge  army  communities,  their  different  newspapers 
reached  the  camps  and  were  eagerly  devoured.  Violent  and  hostile 
criticisms  of  Government — even  expositions  of  glaring  abuses — were 
worse  than  useless  unless  they  could  be  remedied;  and  when  these 
came  to  be  the  text  of  camp-talk,  they  naturally  made  the  soldiers, 
think  somewhat  as  they  did. 

19 


•290  Four  Years  in  Rebel  Capitals. 

Now,  the  greatest  difficulty  with  that  variously-constituted  army, 
was  to  make  its  individuals  the  perfect  machines — unthinking,  un- 
reasoning, only  obeying — to  which  the  perfect  soldier  must  be  re- 
duced. ' '  Johnny  Reb  "  would  think ;  and  not  infrequently,  he  would 
talk.  The  newspapers  gave  him  aid  and  comfort  in  both  breaches  of 
•discipline ;  and  in  some  instances,  their  influence  against  the  conscrip- 
tion and  impressments  was  seriously  felt  in  the  interior.  Still  these 
hostilities  had  their  origin  in  honest  conviction;  and  abuses  were 
held  up  to  the  light,  that  the  Government  might  be  made  to  see  and 
correct  them. 

The  newspapers  but  reflected  the  ideas  of  some  of  the  clearest 
thinkers  in  the  land ;  and  they  recorded  the  real  and  true  history  of 
public  opinion  during  the  war.  In  their  columns  is  to  be  found  the 
only  really  correct  and  indicative  "map  of  busy  life,  its  fluctuations 
and  its  vast  concerns  "  in  the  South,  during  her  days  of  darkness 
and  of  trial. 

These  papers  held  their  own  bravely  for  a  time,  and  fought  hard 
against  scarcity  of  labor,  material  and  patronage — against  the  depre- 
ciation of  currency  and  their  innumerable  other  difficulties.  Little  by 
little  their  numbers  decreased ;  then  only  the  principal  dailies  of  the 
cities  were  left,  and  these  began  to  print  upon  straw  paper,  wall  pa- 
pering— on  any  material  that  could  be  procured.  Cramped  in  means, 
curtailed  in  size,  and  dingy  in  appearance,  their  publishers  still  strug- 
gled bravely  on  for  the  freedom  of  the  press  and  the  freedom  of  the 
South. 

Periodical  literature — as  the  vast  flood  of  illustrated  and  unillus- 
trated  monthlies  and  weeklies  that  swept  over  the  North  was  misnamed 
— was  unknown  in  the  South.  She  had  but  few  weeklies ;  and  these 
were  sturdy  and  heavy  country  papers — relating  more  to  farming  than 
to  national  matters.  Else  they  were  the  weekly  editions  of  the  city 
papers,  intended  for  country  consumption.  Few  monthly  magazines — 
save  educational,  religious,  or  statistical  ventures,  intended  for  certain 
limited  classes,  were  ever  born  in  the  South ;  and  most  of  those  few 
lived  weakly  and  not  long. 

De  Bow's  Review,  the  Southern  Quarterly,  and  the  Literary  Messen- 
ger, were  the  most  noteworthy  exceptions.  The  business  interests  of 
the  larger  towns  supported  the  first — which,  indeed,  drew  part  of  its 
patronage  from  the  North.  Neither  its  great  ability  nor  the  taste  of  its 


Four  Years  in  Rebel  Capitals.  291 

•clientele  availed  to  sustain  the  second ;  and  the  Messenger — long  the 
•chosen  medium  of  southern  writers  of  all  ages,  sexes  and  conditions — 
dragged  on  a  wearisome  existence,  with  one  foot  in  the  grave  for 
many  years,  only  to  perish  miserably  of  starvation  during  the  war. 

But  any  regular  and  systematized  periodical  literature  the  South 
never  had.  The  principal  reason  doubtless  is,  that  she  had  not  the 
numerous  class  of  readers  for  amusement,  who  demand  such  food  in 
the  North;  and  of  the  not  insignificant  class  who  did  indulge  in  it, 
nine-tenths — for  one  reason,  or  another,  preferred  northern  periodicals. 
This  is  not  altogether  unnatural,  when  we  reflect  that  these  latter 
were  generally  better  managed  and  superior  in  interest — if  not  in  tone 
— to  anything  the  South  had  yet  attempted.  They  were  gotten  up 
with  all  the  appliances  of  mechanical  perfection ;  were  managed  with 
business  tact,  and  forced  and  puffed  into  such  circulation  as  made 
the  heavy  outlay  for  first-class  writers  in  the  end  remunerative. 

On  the  contrary,  every  magazine  attempted  in  the  South  up  to 
that  time  had  been  born  with  the  seeds  of  dissolution  already  in  it. 
Voluntary  contributions — fatal  poison  to  any  literary  enterprise — had 
been  their  universal  basis.  There  was  ever  a  crowd  of  men  and 
women  among  southern  populations,  who  would  write  anywhere 
and  anything  for  the  sake  of  seeing  themselves  in  print.  And  while 
there  were  many  able  and  accomplished  writers  available,  they  were 
driven  off  by  these  Free-Companions  of  the  quill — preferring  not  to 
write  in  such  company;  or,  if  forced  to  do  it,  to  send  their  often 
anonymous  contributions  to  northern  journals.  These  two  reasons — 
especially  the  last — availed  to  kill  the  few  literary  ventures  attempted 
by  more  enterprising  southern  publishers.  The  first  of  these  two  in 
a  great  measure  influenced  the  scarcity  of  book-producers,  among  a 
people  who  had  really  very  few  readers  among  them ;  and  even  had 
the  number  of  these  been  larger,  it  seems  essential  to  the  increase  of 
authors  that,. there  should  be  the  constant  friction  of  contact  in  float- 
ing literature. 

Good  magazines  are  the  nurseries  and  forcing  houses  for  authors ; 
and  almost  every  name  of  prominence  in  modern  literature  may  be 
traced  back  along  its  course,  as  that  of  magazinist,  or  reviewer. 

The  South — whether  these  reasons  for  it  be  just  or  not,  the  fact  is 
patent — had  had  but  few  writers  of  prominence ;  and  in  fiction  es- 
pecially the  names  that  were  known  could  be  numbered  on  one's  fin- 


292  Four  Years  in  Rebel  Capitals. 

gers.  W.  Gilmore  Simms  was  at  once  the  father  of  southern  litera- 
ture and  its  most  prolific  exemplar.  His  numerous  novels  have  been 
very  generally  read ;  and,  if  not  placing  him  in  the  highest  ranks  of 
writers  of  fiction,  at  least  vindicate  the  claims  of  his  section  to  force 
and  originality.  He  had  been  followed  up  the  thorny  path  by  many 
who  stopped  half-way,  turned  back,  or  sunk  forgotten  even  before 
reaching  that  far. 

Few,  indeed,  of  their  works  ever  went  beyond  their  own  bound- 
aries ;  and  those  few  rarely  sent  back  a  record.  Exceptions  there 
were,  however,  who  pressed  Mr.  Simms  hard  for  his  position  on  the 
topmost  peak ;  and  most  of  these  adventurous  climbers  were  of  the 
softer  sex. 

John  Esten  Cooke  had  written  a  very  clever  novel  of  the  olden 
society,  called  "Virginia  Comedians."  It  had  promised  a  brilliant 
future,  when  his  style  and  method  should  both  ripen ;  a  promise  that 
had  not,  so  far,  been  kept  by  two  or  three  succeeding  ventures 
launched  on  these  doubtful  waters.  Hon.  Jere  Clemens,  of  Alabama, 
had  commenced  a  series  of  strong,  if  somewhat  convulsive,  stories  of 
western  character.  "  Mustang  Gray"  and  "  Bernard  Lile,"  scenting 
strongly  of  camp-fire  and  pine-top,  yet  had  many  advantages  over 
the  majority  of  successful  novels,  then  engineered  by  northern 
publishers.  Marion  Harland,  as  her  nom  de  plume  went,  was,  how- 
ever, the  most  popular  of  southern  writers.  Her  stories  of  Virginia 
home-life  had  little  pretension  to  the  higher  flights  of  romance  ;  but 
they  were  pure,  graphic  and  not  unnatural  scenes  from  every-day 
life.  They  introduced  us  to  persons  we  knew,  or  might  have  known ; 
and  the  people  read  them  generally  and  liked  them.  Mrs.  Ritchie 
(Anna  Cora  Mowatt)  was  also  prolific  of  novels,  extracted  principally 
from  her  fund  of  stage  experience.  Piquant  and  bright,  with  a 
dash  of  humor  and  more  than  a  dash  of  sentiment,  Mrs.  Ritchie's 
books  had  many  admirers  and  more  friends.  The  South-west,  too, 
had  given  us  the  "  Household  of  Bouverie  "  and  "  Beulah; "  and  it 
was  reserved  for  Miss  Augusta  Evans,  author  of  the  latter,  to  furnish 
the  only  novel — almost  the  only  book — published  within  the  South 
during  continuance  of  the  war.  The  only  others  I  can  now  recall — 
emanating  from  southern  pens  and  entirely  made  in  the  South — were 
Mrs.  A.  de  V.  Chaudron's  translation  of  Miilbach's  "Joseph  II.,"  and 
Dr.  Wm.  Sheppardson's  collection  of  "War  Poetry  of  the  South." 


Four  Years  in  Rebel  Capitals.  293 

This  is  not  an  imposing  array  of  prose  writers,  and  it  may  be  in- 
complete ;  but  it  is  very  certain  that  there  are  not  many  omissions. 

In  poetry,  the  warmer  clime  of  the  South  would  naturally  have 
been  expected  to  excel ;  but,  while  the  list  of  rhyrristers  was  longer 
than  Leporello's,  the  poets  hardly  exceeded  in  number  the  writers  of 
prose.  Thompson,  Meek,  Simms,  Hayne,  Timrod  and  McCord  were 
the  few  names  that  had  gone  over  the  border.  Up  to  that  time, 
however,  the  South  had  never  produced  any  great  poem,  that  was  to 
stand  are  perennius.  But  that  there  was  a  vast  amount  of  latent  poetry 
in  our  people  was  first  developed  by  the  terrible  friction  of  war. 

In  the  dead-winter  watches  of  the  camp,  in  the  stricken  homes  of 
the  widow  and  the  childless,  and  in  the  very  prison  pens,  where  they 
were  crushed  under  outrage  and  contumely — the  souls  of  the  south- 
rons rose  in  song. 

The  varied  and  stirring  acts  of  that  terrible  drama — its  trying 
suspense  and  harrowing  shocks — its  constant  strain  and  privations 
must  have  graven  deep  upon  southern  hearts  a  picture  of  that  time ; 
and  there  it  will  stand  forever,  distinct — indelible — etched  by  the 
mordant  of  sorrow ! 

Where  does  history  show  more  stirring  motives  for  poetry  ?  Every 
rood  of  earth,  moistened  and  hallowed  with  sacred  blood,  sings  to-day 
a  noble  dirge,  wordless,  but  how  eloquent !  No  whitewashed  ward  in 
yonder  hospital,  but  has  written  in  letters  of  life  its  epic  of  heroism, 
of  devotion,  and  of  triumphant  sacrifice ! 

Every  breeze  that  swept  from  those  ravished  homes,  whence  peace 
and  purity  had  fled  before  the  sword,  the  torch  and  that  far  blacker — 
nameless  horror ! — each  breeze  bore  upon  its  wing  a  pleading  prayer 
for  peace,  mingled  and  drowned  in  the  hoarse  notes  of  a  stirring  cry. 
to  arms ! 

But  not  only  did  our  people  feel  all  this.  They  spoke  it  with 
universal  voice — in  glowing,  burning  words  that  will  live  so  long  as 
strength  and  tenderness  and  truth  shall  hold  their  own  in  literature. 

For  reasons  thus  roughly  sketched,  no  great  and  connected  effort 
had  been  made  at  the  South  before  the  war.  Though  there  had 
been  sudden  and  fitful  flashes  of  rare  warmth  and  promise,  they  had 
died  before  their  fire  was  communicated.  That  the  fire  v:as  there, 
latent  and  still,  they  bore  witness ;  but  it  needed  the  rough  and  cruel 
friction  of  the  war  to  bring  it  to  the  surface. 


294  Four  Years  in  Rebel  Capitals. 

What  the  southron  felt  he  spoke ;  and  out  of  the  bitterness  of  his-. 
trial  the  poetry  of  the  South  was  born.  It  leaped  at  one  bound  from 
the  overcharged  brain  of  our  people — fullstatured  in  its  stern  defiance 
mailed  in  the  triple  panoply  of  truth. 

There  was  endless  poetry  written  in  the  North  on  the  war ;  and 
much  of  it  came  from  the  pens  of  men  as  eminent  as  Longfellow, 
Bryant,  Whittier  and  Holmes.  But  they  wrote  far  away  from  the 
scenes  they  spoke  of — comfortably  housed  and  perfectly  secure.  The 
men  of  the  North  wrote  with  their  pens,  while  the  men  of  the  South 
wrote  with  their  hearts ! 

A  singular  commentary  upon  this  has  been  given  us  by  Mr.  Rich- 
ard Grant  White — himself  a  member  of  the  committee.  In  April, 
1861,  a  committee  of  thirteen  New  Yorkers — comprising  such  names 
as  Julian  Verplanck,  Moses  Grinnell,  John  A.  Dix  and  Geo.  Wm. 
Curtis — offered  a  reward  of  five  hundred  dollars  for  a  National 
Hymn !  What  hope,  feeling,  patriotism  and  love  of  the  cause  had 
failed  to  produce — for  the  lineal  descendants  of  the  "  Star  Spangled 
Banner "  were  all  in  the  South,  fighting  under  the  bars  instead  of 
the  stripes — was  to  be  drawn  out  by  the  application  of  a  greenback 
poultice !  The  committee  advertised  generally  for  five  hundred  dol- 
lars' worth  of  pure  patriotism,  to  be  ground  out  "in  not  less  than  six- 
teen lines,  nor  more  than  forty." 

Even  with  this  highest  incentive,  Mr.  White  tells  us  that  dozens  of 
barrelfuls  of  manuscript  were  rejected ;  and  not  one  patriot  was  found 
whose  principles — as  expressed  in  his  poetry — were  worth  that  much 
money !  Were  it  not  the  least  bit  saddening,  the  contemplation  of 
this  attempt  to  buy  up  fervid  sentiment  would  be  inexpressibly  funny. 

Memory  must  bring  up,  in  contrast,  that  night  of  1792  in  Stras- 
bourg, when  the  gray  dawn,  struggling  with  the  night,  fell  upon  the 
pale  face  and  burning  eyes  of  Rouget  de  Lisle — as  with  trembling 
hand  he  wrote  the  last  words  of  the  Marseillaise.  The  mind  must  re- 
vert, in  contrast,  to  those  ravished  hearths  and  stricken  homes  and 
decimated  camps,  where  the  South  wrought  and  suffered  and  sang — 
sang  words  that  rose  from  men's  hearts,  when  the  ore  of  genius  fused 
and  sparkled  in  the  hot  blast  of  their  fervid  patriotism  ! 

Every  poem  of  the  South  is  a  National  Hymn ! — bought  not  with 
dollars,  but  with  five  hundred  wrongs  and  ten  times  five  hundred] 
precious  lives ! 


Four  Years  in  Rebel  Capitals.  295 

To  one  who  has  not  studied  the  subject,  the  vast  number  of  south- 
ern war  poems  would  be  most  surprising,  in  view  of  restricted  means 
for  their  issue.  Every  magazine,  album  and  newspaper  in  the  South, 
ran  over  with  these  effusions  and  swelled  their  number  to  an  almost 
countless  one.  Many  of  them  were  written  for  a  special  time,  event^ 
or  locality ;  many  again  were  read  and  forgotten  in  the  engrossing 
duties  of  the  hour.  But  it  was  principally  from  the  want  of  some 
systematized  means  of  distribution  that  most  of  them  were  born  to> 
blush  unseen. 

Before  my  little  collection — "  South  Songs,  from  the  Lays  of  Later 
Days" — went  to  press,  over  nineteen  hundred  poems  had  accumu- 
lated on  my  hands !  And  since  that  time  the  number  has  greatly  in- 
creased. There  were  battle  odes,  hymns,  calls  to  arms,  pseans  and 
dirges  and  prayers  for  peace — many  of  them  good,  few  of  them, 
great;  and  the  vast  majority,  alas!  wretchedly  poor.  Any  attempted 
notice  of  their  authors  in  limits  like  this  would  be  sheer  failure ;  and 
where  many  did  so  well,  it  were  invidious  to  discriminate.  The  names 
of  John  R.  Thompson,  James  Randall,  Henry  Timrod,  Paul  Hayne, 
Barron  Hope,  Margaret  Preston,  James  Overall,  Harry  Lyndon  Flash 
and  Frank  Ticknor  had  already  become  household  words  in  the 
South,  where  they  will  live  forever. 

Wherever  his  people  read  anything,  the  classic  finish  of  his 
"Latane,"  the  sweet  caress  of  his  "  Stuart'7  and  the  bugle-blast  of  his 
"Coercion"  and  "Word  with  the  West,"  had  assured  John  R.. 
Thompson's  fame.  The  liltful  refrain  of  "  Maryland,  my  Maryland'* 
echoed  from  the  Potomac  to  the  Gulf;  and  the  clarion-call  James  R. 
Randall  so  nobly  used— "  There's  Life  in  the  Old  Land  Yet!" — 
warmed  every  southern  heart,  by  the  dead  ashes  on  its  hearth.  Who* 
does  not  remember  "  Beechenbrook,"  that  pure  Vestal  in  the  temple- 
of  Mars  ?  Every  tear  of  sympathy  that  fell  upon  its  pages  was  a . 
jewel  above  rubies,  in  the  crown  of  its  gentle  author. 

Paul  Hayne  had  won  already  the  hearts  of  his  own  readers;  and: 
had  gained  transatlantic  meed,  in  Tennyson's  declaration  that  her 
was  "the  sonneteer  of  America!"  And  the  yearning  sorrow  in  all! 
eyes  that  looked  upon  the  fresh  mound,  above  what  was  mortal  of 
tender  Henry  Timrod,  was  more  eloquent  of  worth  than  costly  monu- 
ument,  or  labored  epitaph. 

But  not  only  the  clang  of  action   and   the  freedom  of  stirring 


296  Four  Years  in  Rebel  Capitals. 

scenes  produced  the  southern  war-poems.  Camp  Chase  and  forts 
Warren  and  Lafayette  contributed  as  glowing  strains  as  any  written. 
Those  grim  bastiles  held  the  bodies  of  their  unconquered  inmates; 
•while  their  hearts  lived  but  in  the  memory  of  those  scenes,  in  which 
their  fettered  hands  were  debarred  further  portion.  Worn  down  by 
confinement,  hunger  and  the  ceaseless  pressure  of  suspense;  weak- 
ened by  sickness  and  often  oppressed  by  vulgar  indignity — the  spirit 
of  their  cause  still  lingered  lovingly  around  them;  and  its  bright 
gleams  warmed  and  lighted  the  darkest  recesses  of  their  cells. 

That  bugle  blast,  "Awake  and  to  horse,  my  brothers !"  ,Teackle 
"VVallis  sent  from  the  walls  of  Warren,  when  he  was  almost  prostrated 
l>y  sickness  and  mental  suffering.  Another  poem,  more  mournful 
tout  with  a  beautiful  thought  of  hope  beyond,  comes  from  that  dismal 
prison-pen,  Camp  Chase.  Colonel  W.  S.  Hawkins,  a  brave  Ten- 
nesseean,  who  was  held  there  two  long  years,  still  kept  up  heart  and 
ministered  to  his  fellow-sufferers  day  and  night.  The  close  of  the  war 
.alone  released  him,  to  drag  his  shattered  frame  to  i'his  own,  fair 
sunny  land,"  and  lay  it  in  the  soil  he  loved  so  well.  But  he  has  left 
a  living  monument;  and  the  tender  pathos  of  "  The  Hero  without  a 
Name " — and  the  flawless  poetical  gem  that  closes  his  ' '  Last  of 
Earth,"  will  be  remembered  as  long  as  the  sacrifices  of  their  noble 
author.  The  pent  walls  of  other  military  prisons  sent  forth  plaintive 
records  of  misery,  as  well  as  stirring  strains  of  hope  unconquered; 
Imt  the  two  here  named  are  easily  first  of  the  rebel-prisoner  poets. 

Dirges  for  the  great  dead  became  a  popular  form,  in  which  the 
spirit  of  southern  song  poured  itself  out.  I  had  in  my  collection  no 
fewer  than  forty-seven  monodies  and  dirges  on  Stonewall  Jackson ; 
some  dozens  on  Ashby  and  a  score  on  Stuart.  Some  of  these  were 
critically  good;  all  of  them  high  in  sentiment ;  but  Flash's  "Jackson" 
— heretofore  quoted,  when  noting  that  irremediable  loss — stands  in- 
comparably above  the  rest.  Short,  vigorous,  completely  rounded — it 
breathes  that  high  spirit  of  hope  and  trust,  held  by  that  warrior 
people ;  and,  not  alone  the  finest  war  dirge  of  the  South,  it  is  excelled 
l>y  no  sixteen  lines  in  any  language,  for  power,  lilt  and  tenderness ! 

Perhaps  Thompson's  "Dirge  for  Ashby,"  Randall's  song  of 
triumph  over  dead  John  Pelham  and  Mrs.  Margaret  Preston's 
•"Ashby,"  may  rank  side-by-side  next  to  the  "  Jackson."  The  modest 
author  of  the  last-named  did  not  claim  it,  until  the  universal  voice 


Four   Years  in  Rebel  Capitals.  297 

of  her  people  called  for  her  name ;  and  it  is  noteworthy  that  large 
numbers  of  war-song  writers  hid  from  their  just  meed,  behind  the 
sheltering  anonymous.  And  the  universal  characteristic  of  this 
dirge-poetry  is  not  its  mournful  tenderness — while  nothing  could  be 
more  touching  than  that  ;  but  its  strong  expression  of  faith  in  the 
efficacy  of  the  sacrifice  and  in  the  full  atonement  of  the  martyrdom ! 

The  battle-breeze  bore  back  to  the  writers  no  sound  of  weak 
wailing.  It  wafted  only  the  sob  of  manly  grief,  tempered  by  a  sol- 
emn joyousness ;  and — coming  from  men  of  many  temperaments, 
amid  wide-differing  scenes  and  circumstance — every  monody  bears 
impress  of  the  higher  inspiration,  that  has  its  origin  far  beyond  the 
realm  of  the  narrow  house ! 

Sacred  to  one  and  all — in  the  Dixie  of  yesterday,  in  the  southern 
half  of  the  cemented  Union  of  to-day — is  the  memory  of  that  past. 
Sweet  and  bitter  commingled,  as  it  is,  we  clasp  it  to  our  heart  of 
hearts  and  know — that  were  it  bitterer  a  thousand  fold — it  is  ours 
still !  So  I  may  not  leave  the  field  of  southern  song,  unnoting  its 
noblest  strain — its  funeral  hymn  !  Father  Ryan's  "  Conquered  Ban- 
ner" is  so  complete  in  fulfillment  of  its  mission,  that  we  can  not 
spare  one  word,  while  yet  no  word  is  wanting!  Every  syllable 
there  finds  it  echo  far  down  in  every  southern  heart.  Every  syl- 
lable has  added  significance^  as  coming  from  a  man  of  peace ; — a 
priest  of  that  church  which  ever  held  forth  free  and  gentle  hand  to 
aid  the  cause  of  struggling  freedom ! 

In  hottest  flashings  of  the  fight ;  in  toilsome  marches  of  winter ; 
in  fearful  famine  of  the  trenches — the  Catholic  soldiers  of  the  Con- 
federacy ever  acted  the  motto  of  the  Douglas ;  their  deeds  ever  said 
— "  Ready !  aye,  ready!  " 

And,  in  fetid  wards  of  fever  hospital;  in  field-tents,  where  the 
busy  knife  shears  through  quivering  flesh ;  on  battle-ground,  where 
shattered  manhood  lies  mangled  almost  past  semblance  of  itself;  at 
hurried  burial,  where  gory  blanket,  or  rough  board,  makes  final  rest 
for  some  "Hero  without  a  name;  " — there  ever,  and  ever  tender  and 
tireless,  the  priest  of  Rome  works  on  his  labor  of  love  and  consola- 
tion !  And  the  gentlest  daughter  of  the  eldest  church  was  there  as 
well.  All  southe'rn  soldiers  were  brothers,  in  her  eyes  ;  children  of 
the  One  Father.  And  that  noble  band  of  Sisters  of  Mercy — to  which 
our  every  woman  belonged ;  giving  light  and  hope  to  the  hospital, 


298  Four  Years  in  Rebel  Capitals. 

life  itself  to  the  cause — that  band  knew  no  confines  of  ministry — no 
barriers  of  faith,  which  made  charity  aught  but  one  common  heritage ! 

Over  the  border,  too ;  in  struggling  Maryland,  in  leaguered  Mis- 
souri, and  far  into  the  North,  the  Catholic  clergy  were  friends  of  the 
southern  cause.  They  ceased  never  openly  to  defend  its  justice ; 
quietly  to  aid  its  sympathizers.  They  helped  the  self-exiled  soldier 
to  bear  unaccustomed  hardships,  on  the  one  side;  carried  to  his  lonely 
mother,  on  the  other,  tidings  of  his  safety,  or  his  glory,  that  ' '  caused 
the  heart  of  the  widow  to  sing  for  joy  !  " 

Fitting,  then,  it  was  that  a  father  of  that  church  should  chant 
the  requiem  for  the  dead  cause,  he  had  loved  and  labored  for  while 
living;  that  Father  Ryan  should  bless  and  bury  its  conquered  banner, 
when  the  bitter  day  came  that  saw  it  "  furled  forever." 

But  is  that  proud  flag — with  the  glory  and  the  pride  wrought  into 
its  folds,  by  suffering,  honor  and  endurance  unexcelled — really  "furled 
forever?"  The  dust  of  centuries  may  sift  upon  it,  but  the  moth  and 
the  mold  may  harm  it  not.  Ages  it  may  lie,  furled  and  unnoted; 
but  in  her  own  good  time,  historic  Justice  shall  yet  unfold  and  throw 
it  to  the  breeze  of  immortality;  pointing  to  each  glorious  rent  and 
to  each  holy  drop  that  stains  it ! 

The  war-poetry  of  the  South  has  been  dwelt  upon,  perhaps,  at  too 
great  length.  But  it  was,  in  real  truth,  the  literature  of  the  South. 
To  sum  it  up  may  be  repeated,  after  a  lapse  of  twenty-five  years — 
that  sentence  from  the  preface  to  my  "South  Songs,"  which  raised 
such  ire  among  irreconcilables  of  the  southern  press : — "  In  prose  of 
all  kinds,  the  South  stood  still,  during  the  war;  perhaps  retrograded. 
But  her  best  aspiration,  '  lisped  in  numbers,  for  the  numbers  came! ' ' 

Even  then  her  poetry  proved  that  there  was  life — high,  brave  life 
— in  the  old  land  yet ;  even  then  it  gave  earnest  that,  when  the  bitter 
struggle  for  bread  gave  time  for  thought,  reason  and  retrospect, 
southern  literature  would  rise,  in  the  might  of  a  young  giant,  and 
shake  herself  wholly  free  from  northern  domination  and  convention. 

In  art  and  her  twin  sister,  music,  the  South  displayed  taste  and 
progress  truly  remarkable  in  view  of  the  absorbing  nature  of  her  du- 
ties. Like  all  inhabitants  of  semi-tropic  climes,  there  had  ever  been 
shown  by  her  people  natural  love  and  aptitude  for  melody.  While 
this  natural  taste  was  wholly  uncultivated — venting  largely  in  planta- 
tion songs  of  the  negroes — in  districts  where  the  music-master  was 


Four  Years  in  Rebel  Capitals.  299 

necessarily  abroad;  it  had  reached  high  development  in  several  of 
the  large  cities.  Few  of  these  were  large  enough,  or  wealthy  enough, 
to  support  good  operas,  which  the  wealth  of  the  North  frequently 
lured  to  itself;  but  it  may  be  recalled  that  New  Orleans  was  genu- 
inely enjoying  opera,  as  a  necessary  of  life,  long  before  New  York 
deemed  it  essential  to  study  bad  translations  of  librettos,  in  warmly- 
packed  congregations  of  thousands. 

Mobile,  Charleston,  Savannah  and  other  cities  also  had  consider- 
able latent  music  among  their  amateurs;  happily  not  then  brought 
to  the  surface  by  the  fierce  friction  of  poverty.  And  what  was  the 
musical  talent  of  the  Capital,  has  elsewhere  been  hinted.  When 
the  tireless  daughters  of  Richmond  had  worked  in  every  other  way, 
for  the  soldiers  themselves,  they  organized  a  system  of  concerts  and 
dramatic  evenings  for  benefit  of  their  families.  At  these  were  shown 
evidences  of  individual  excellence,  truly  remarkable;  while  their 
average  displayed  .taste  and  finish,  which  skilled  critics  declared 
would  compare  favorably  with  any  city  in  the  country. 

The  bands  of  the  southern  army — so  long  as  they  remained  exist- 
ent as  separate  organizations — were  indisputably  mediocre,  when  not 
atrociously  bad.  But  it  must  be  recalled  that  there  was  little  time  to 
practice,  even  in  the  beginning;  literally  no  chance  to  obtain  new 
music,  or  instruments ;  and  that  the  better  class  of  men — who  usually 
make  the  best  musicians — always  preferred  the  musket  to  the  bugle. 
Nor  was  there  either  incentive  to  good  music,  or  appreciation  for  it, 
among  the  masses  of  the  fighters.  The  drum  and  fife  were  the  best 
they  had  known  "  at  musters;  "  and  they  were  good  enough  still,  to 
fight  by.  So,  recalling  the  prowess  achieved  constantly,  in  following 
them,  it  may  be  wondered  what  possible  results  might  have  come 
from  inspiration  of  a  marine  band,  a  Grafulla,  or  a  Gilmore ! 

Likewise,  in  all  art  matters,  the  South  was  at  least  a  decade  be- 
hind her  northern  sisterhood.  Climate,  picturesque  surrounding  and 
natural  warmth  of  character  had  awakened  artistic  sense,  in  many 
localities.  But  its  development  was  scarcely  appreciable,  from  lack 
of  opportunity  and  of  exemplar.  The  majority  of  southern  girls  were 
reared  at  their  own  homes ;  and  art  culture — beyond  mild  atrocities 
in  crayon  or  water-color,  or  terrors  bred  of  the  nimble  broiderer's 
needle — was  a  myth,  indeed.  A  large  number  of  young  men —  a  ma- 
jority, perhaps,  of  those  who  could  afford  it — received  education  at  the 


300  four  Years  in  Rebel  Capitals. 

North.  Such  of  these  as  displayed  peculiar  aptitude  fcr  painting, 
were  usually  sent  abroad  for  perfecting;  and  returning,  they  almost 
Invariably  settled  in  northern  cities,  where  were  found  both  superior 
opportunities  and  larger  and  better-paying  class  of  patrons.  But, 
when  the  tug  came,  not  a  few  of  these  errant  youths  returned,  to 
share  it  with  their  native  states ;  and  some  of  them  found  time,  even 
in  the  stirring  days  of  war,  to  transfer  to  canvas  some  of  its  most 
suggestive  scenes. 

Of  them,  the  majority  were  naturally  about  Richmond ;  not  only 
as  the  great  army  center,  but  as  the  center  of  everything  else. 
Among  the  latter  were  two  favorite  pupils  of  Leutze,  William  D. 
Washington  and  John  A.  Elder.  Both  Virginians,  by  birth  and  rear- 
ing, they  had  the  great  advantage  of  Dusseldorf  training,  while  they 
were  thoroughly  acquainted  and  sympathetic  with  their  subjects. 
Some  of  Washington's  figure-pieces  were  very  successful;  finding 
ready  sale  at  prices  which,  had  they  continued,  might  have  made 
him  a  Meissonnier  in  pocket,  as  well  as  in  local  fame.  His  elaborate 
picture,  illustrating  the  "Burial  of  Latane  " — a  subject  which  also 
afforded  motif  for  Thompson's  most  classic  poem — attracted  wide  at- 
tention and  favorable  verdict  from  good  critics.  Mr.  Washington 
also  made  many  and  excellent  studies  of  the  bold,  picturesque  scen- 
ery of  his  western  campaigning,  along  the  Gauley  and'Kanawha. 

Elder's  pictures — while,  perhaps,  less  careful  in  finish  than  those 
of  his  brother  student — were  nothing  inferior  as  close  character- 
studies  of  soldier-life.  Their  excellence  was  ever  emphasized  by 
prompt  sale;  and  "The  Scout's  Prize"  and  the  "Raider's  Return  " 
— both  horse  and  landscape  studies  ;  as  well  as  a  ghastly,  but  most 
effective  picture  of  the  "Crater  Fight"  at  Petersburg,  made  the 
young  artist  great  reputation. 

Washington's  "Latane"  had  post-bellum  reproduction,  by  the 
graver;  becoming  popular  and  widely-known,  North  and  South.  The 
three  of  Elder's  pictures,  named  here,  were  purchased  by  a  member 
of  the  British  parliament ;  but,  unfortunately,  were  destroyed  in  the 
fire  of  the  Dies  irce.  The  two  first  were  duplicated,  after  the  peace ; 
and  they  gained  praise  and  successful  sale  in  New  York. 

Mr.  Guillam,  a  French  student,  worked  carefully  and  industri- 
ously, at  his  Richmond  studio ;  producing  portraits  of  Lee,  Jackson 
and  others;  which,  having  exaggerated  mannerisms  of  the  French 


Four  Years  in  Rebel  Capitals,  301 

school,  still  possessed  no  little  merit.  A  remarkable  life-size  picture 
of  General  Lee,  which  produced  much  comment  in  Richmond,  was 
done  by  a  deaf-mute,  Mr.  Bruce.  It  was  to  have  been  bought  by  the 
State  of  Virginia;  possibly  from  sympathy  with  the  subject  and 
the  condition  of  the  artist,  rather  than  because  of  intrinsic  merit  as  an 
art-work. 

But,  perhaps,  the  most  strikingly  original  pictures  the  war  pro- 
duced were  those  of  John  R.  Key,  a  Maryland  lieutenant  of  engi- 
neers; one  of  those  decendants  of  "  The  Star  Spangled  Banner,"  early 
noted  in  this  chapter.  Young,  ambitious  and  but  little  educated  in 
art,  Mr.  Key  made  up  that  lack  in  boldness  of  subject  and  treatment. 
His  school  was  largely  his  own ;  and  he  went  for  his  subjects  far  out 
of  the  beaten  track,  treating  them  afterward  with  marked  boldness  and 
dash. 

"  Drewry's  Bluff"  was  a  boldly-handled  sketch  of  what  the  north- 
ern army  persisted  in  calling -"Fort  Darling."  It  showed  the  same 
venturesome  originality  in  color-use,  the  same  breadth  and  fidelity  that 
marked  Mr.  Key's  later  pictures  of  Sumter,  Charleston  harbor  and 
scenes  on  the  James  river. 

These  pictures  named  in  common,  with  minor  sketches  from  pen- 
cils less  known  at  that  time — among  them  that  of  William  L.  Shep- 
pard,  now  famous  as  graphic  delineator  of  southern  scenes — illustrate 
both  the  details  of  the  unique  war,  and  the  taste  and  heart  of  those 
who  made  it.  Amid  battles,  sieges  and  sorrows,  the  mimic  world  be- 
hind the  Chinese  wall  revolved  on  axis  of  its  own.  War  was  the  busi- 
ness of  life  to  every  man ;  but,  in  the  short  pauses  of  its  active  strife, 
were  shown  both  the  taste  and  talent  for  the  prettiest  pursuits  of  peace. 
And  the  apparently  unsurmountable  difficulties,  through  which  these 
were  essayed,  makes  their  even  partial  development  more  remarkable 
still. 

The  press,  the  literature  and  the  art  of  the  Southern  Confeder- 
acy— looked  at  in  the  light  of  her  valor  and  endurance,  shining  from 
her  hundred  battle-fields — emphasize  strongly  the  inborn  nature  of 
her  people.  And,  while  there  were  many  whom  the  limits  of  this 
sketch  leave  unnamed,  that  sin  of  omission  will  not  be  registered 
against  the  author ;  for  the  men  of  the  South — even  in  minor  matters 
— did  their  work  for  the  object  and  for  the  cause  ;  not  for  self-illus- 
tration. 


302  Four   Years  in  Rebel  Capitals. 


CHAPTER  XXXIII. 

WIT   AND    HUMOR    OF   THE   WAR. 

If  it  be  true  that  Sir  Philip  Sidney,  burning  with  fever  of  his 
death-wound,  reproved  the  soldier  who  brought  him  water  in  his 
helmet,  that  "he  wasted  a  casque-full  on  a  dying  man,"  then  humor 
borrowed  largely  of  heroism. 

Many  a  ragged  rebel — worn  with  hunger  and  anxiety  for  the  cause, 
or  for  those  absent  loved  ones  who  suffered  for  it — was  as  gallant 
as  Sidney  in  the  fray ;  many  a  one  bore  his  bitter  trial  with  the  same 
gay  heart. 

We  have  seen  that  the  southron,  war-worn,  starving,  could  pour 
out  his  soul  in  noble  song.  Equally  plain  is  it,  that  he  rose  in  defi- 
ant glee  over  his  own  sufferings ;  striving  to  drown  the  sigh  in  a 
peal  of  resonant  laughter.  For  humorous  poetry  abounds  among  all 
southern  war-collections ;  some  of  it  polished  and  keen  in  its  satire ; 
most  of  it  striking  hard  and  "  straight-from-the-shoulder "  blows  at 
some  detected  error,  or  some  crying  abuse. 

One  very  odd  and  typical  specimen  of  this  was  the  "  Confederate 
Mother  Goose ;  "  only  catch  verses  of  which  appeared  in  the  "  South- 
ern Literary  Messenger,"  when  under  editorial  charge  of  rare  George 
Bagby.  It  was  born  of  accident;  several  officers  sitting  over  their 
pipes,  around  Bagby's  editorial  pine,  scribbled  in  turn  doggerel  on 
some  war  subject.  So  good  were  a  few  of  these  hits  that  they  aston- 
ished their  unambitious  authors,  by  appearance  in  the  next  issue  of 
the  magazine.  As  a  record  of  war-humor,  a  few  of  them  may  be  of 
interest  at  this  late  day.  This  one  shows  the  great  terror  struck  to 
the  hearts  of  his  enemies  by  the  war-gong  of  General  Pope : 

"  Little  Be-Pope,  he  came  at  a  lope, 
'Jackson,  the  Rebel,'  to  find  him. 
He  found  him  at  last,  then  ran  very  fast, 
With  his  gallant  invaders  behind  him !  " 

"Jackson's  commissary"  was  a  favorite  butt  for  the  shafts  of  rebel 
humor.  Another  "  Mother  Goose  "  thus  pictures  him  : 


Four  Years  in  Rebel  Capitals.  303 

"John  Pope  came  down  to  our  town 

And  thought  him  wondrous  wise ; 
He  jumped  into  a  'skeeter  swamp 

And  started  writing  lies. 
But  when  he  found  his  lies  were  out — 

With  all  his  might  and  main 
He  changed  his  base  to  another  place, 

And  began  to  lie  again  !  " 

This  verse  on  McClellan  does  not  go  to  prove  that  the  South  re- 
spected any  less  the  humane  warfare,  or  the  tactical  ability  of  him 
his  greatest  opponents  declared  "the  North's  best  general." 

"  Little  McClellan  sat  eating  a  melon, 

The  Chickahominy  by, 

He  stuck  in  his  spade,  then  a  long  while  delayed, 
And  cried  '  What  a  brave  general  am  I ! ' ' 

Or  this,  embalming  the  military  cant  of  the  day : 

"  Henceforth,  when  a  fellow  is  kicked  out  of  doors, 

He  need  never  resent  the  disgrace  ; 
But  exclaim,  '  My  dear  sir,  I'm  eternally  yours, 
For  assisting  in  changing  my  base  ! ' " 

Perhaps  no  pen,  or  no  brush,  in  all  the  South  limned  with  bolder 
stroke  the  follies,  or  the  foibles,  of  his  own,  than  did  that  of  Innes 
Randolph,  of  Stuart's  Engineer  staff;  later  to  win  national  fame  by 
his  "  Good  Old  Rebel  "  song.  Squib,  picture  and  poem  filled  Ran- 
dolph's letters,  as  brilliant  flashes  did  his  conversation.  On  Mr. 
Davis  proclaiming  Thanksgiving  Day,  after  the  unfortunate  Tennessee 
campaign,  Randolph  versified  the  proclamation,  section  by  section, 
as  sample : 

"  For  Bragg  did  well.     Ah !  who  could  tell 
What  merely  human  mind  could  augur, 
That  they  would  run  from  Lookout  Mount, 
Who  fought  so  well  at  Chickamauga ! " 

Round  many  a  smoky  camp-fire  were  sung  clever  songs,  whose 
humor  died  with  their  gallant  singers,  for  want  of  recording  memories 
in  those  busy  days.  Latham,  Caskie  and  Page  McCarty  sent  out 
some  of  the  best  of  the  skits;  a  few  verses  of  one  by  the  latter's 
floating  to  mind,  from  the  snowbound  camp  on  the  Potomac, 
stamped  by  his  vein  of  rollicking  satire-with-a-tear  in  it : 


304  Four  Years  in  Rebel  Capitals. 

"  Manassas'  field  ran  red  with  gore, 
With  blood  the  Bull  Run  ran  ; 
The  freeman  struck  for  hearth  and  home, 

Or  any  other  man! 

And  Longstreet  with  his  fierce  brigade 
Stood  in  the  red  redan  ; 
He  waved  his  saber  o'er  his  head, 

Or  any  other  man  ! 

Ah !   few  shall  part  where  many  meet, 
In  battle's  bloody  van  ; 
The  snow  shall  be  their  winding-sheet, 

Or  any  other  man  ! " 

Naturally  enough,  with  a  people  whose  nerves  were  kept  at 
abnormal  tension,  reaction  carried  the  humor  of  the  South  largely 
into  travesty.  Where  the  reality  was  ever  somber,  creation  of  the 
unreal  found  popular  and  acceptable  form  in  satiric  verse.  Major 
Caskie — who  ever  went  into  battle  with  a  smile  on  his  lips — found 
time,  between  fights,  for  broad  pasquinade  on  folly  about  him,  with 
pen  and  pencil.  His  very  clever  parody  of  a  touching  and  well- 
known  poem  of  the  time,  found  its  way  to  many  a  camp-fire  and 
became  a  classic  about  the  Richmond  "hells."  It  began: 

"You  can  never  win  them  back, 

Never,  never  ! 
And  you'd  better  leave  the  track 

Now  forever ! 

Tho'  you  '  cut '  and  '  deal  the  pack ' 
And  «  copper  '  every  Jack, 
Yri'll  lose  '  stack  '  after  '  stack ' — 

Forever!  " 

Everything  tending  to  bathos — whether  for  the  cause,  or  against  it 
% — caught  its  quick  rebuke,  at  the  hands  of    some  glib  funmaker. 
Once  an  enthusiastic  admirer  of   the   hero   of   Charleston   indited 
a  glowing  ode,  of  which  the  refrain  ran : 

Beau  sabreur,  beau  canon, 
Beau  soldat — Beauregard ! 

Promptly  came  another,  and  most  distorted  version ;  its  peculiar 
refrain  enfolding : 

Beau  Brummel,  Beau  Fielding, 
Beau  Hickman — Beauregard  ! 

As  it  is  not   of  record  that  the   commander   of  the   Army  of 


Four  Years  in  Rebel  Capitals.  305 

Northern  Virginia  ever  discovered  the  junior  laureate,  the  writer 
will  not  essay  to  do  so. 

Colonel  Tom  August,  of  the  First  Virginia,  was  the  Charles  Lamb 
of  Confederate  war-wits ;  genial,  quick  and  ever  gay.  Early  in  se- 
cession days,  a  bombastic  friend  approached  Colonel  Tom,  with  the 
query :  "  Well,  sir,  I  presume  your  voice  is  still  for  war  ?  " 

To  which  the  wit  replied  promptly :     "  Oh,  yes,  devilish  still !  " 

Later,  when  the  skies  looked  darkest  and  rumors  of  abandoning 
Richmond  were  wildly  flying,  Colonel  August  was  limping  up  the 
street.  A  quidnunc  hailed  him  : 

"Well !  The  city  is  to  be  given  up.  They're  moving  the  medi- 
cal stores." 

"  Glad  of  it!"  called  back  Colonel^ Tom— "  We'll  get  rid  of  all 
this  blue  mass ! " 

From  the  various  army  camps  floated  out  stories,  epigrams  and 
anecdotes  unnumbered ;  most  of  them  wholly  forgotten,  with  only  a 
few  remembered  from  local  color,  or  peculiar  point.  General  Zeb 
Vance's  apostrophe  to  the  buck-rabbit,  flying  by  him  from  heavy  rifle 
fire:  "Go  it,  cotton-tail!  If  I  hadn't  a  reputation,  I'd  be  with 
you ! " — was  a  favorite  theme  for  variations.  Similarly  modified  to 
fit,  was  the  protest  of  the  western  recruit,  ordered  on  picket  at  Mun« 
son's  Hill : 

"  Go  yander  ter  keep  'un  off!  Wy,  we'uns  kem  hyah  ter  fight  th* 
Yanks  ;  an'  ef  you'uns  skeer  'un  off,  how'n  thunder  ez  thar  goan  ter  be 
a  scrimmidge,  no  how  ?" 

A  different  story — showing  quick  resource,  where  resources  were 
lacking — is  told  of  gallant  Theodore  O'Hara,  who  left  the  noblest 
poem  of  almost  any  war,  "  The  Bivouac  of  the  Dead."  While  he  was 
adjutant-general,  a  country  couple  sidled  shyly  up  to  headquarters  of 
his  division,  one  day;  the  lady  blushingly  stating  their  business.  It 
was  the  most  important  one  of  life :  they  wanted  to  marry.  So,  a 
council  of  war  was  held,  no  chaplain  being  available ;  and  the  gen- 
eral insisted  on  O'Hara  tying  the  knot.  Finally,  he  consented  to  try ; 
the  couple  stood  before  him;  the  responses  as  to  obedience  and  en- 
dowment were  made ;  and  there  O'Hara  stuck  fast ! 

"  Go  on  !  "  prompted  the  general — "  The  benediction." 

The  A.  A.  G.  paused,  stammered;  then,  raising  his  hand  grandly, 
shouted  in  stentorian  tones  : 


306  Four  Years  in  Rebel  Capitals. 

"  In  the  name  and  by  the  authority  of  the  Confederate  States  of 
North  America,  I  proclaim  you  man  and  wife ! " 

A  grim  joke  is  handed  down  from  the  winter  camps  before  Atlanta, 
when  rations  were  not  only  worst  but  least.  A  knot  round  a  mess- 
fire  examined  ruefully  the  tiny  bits  of  moldy  bacon,  stuck  on  their 
bayonet-grills,  when  one  hard  old  veteran  remarked : 

"  Say,  boys  !  Didn't  them  fellers  wot  died  las'  spring  jest  git  th' 
commissary,  though!" 

Another,  not  very  nice,  still  points  equally  the  dire  straits  of  the 
men,  from  unchanged  clothing,  and  their  grim  humor  under  even 
that  trial.  Generals  Lee  and  Ewell — riding  through  a  quiet  road  in 
deep  consultation,  followed  by  members  of  their  staff — came  sud- 
denly upon  a  North  Carolinian  at  the  roadside.  Nude  to  the  waist, 
and  careless  of  the  august  presences  near,  the  soldier  paid  attention 
only  to  the  dingy  shirt  he  held  over  the  smoke  of  some  smoldering 
brush.  The  generals  past,  an  aide  spurred  up  to  the  toilet-making 
vet,  and  queried  sharply : 

"  Didn't  you  see  the  generals,  sir?  What  in  thunder  are  you  doing  ?" 
"  Skirmishin' !  "  drawled  the  unmoved  warrior — "An'  I  ent  takin' 
no  pris'ners,  nuther !  " 

After  this  lapse  of  time — when  retrospect  shows  but  the  gloom 
and  sorrow  which  shadowed  the  dark  "days  of  storm  and  stress," 
while  none  of  the  excitement  and  tension  in  them  remains — it  may 
seem  incomprehensible  that  the  South  could  laugh  in  song,  while  she 
suffered  and  fought  and  starved.  Stranger  still  must  it  be  to  know  that 
many  a  merry  peal  rang  through  the  barred  windows  of  the  fortress- 
prisons  of  the  North.  Yet,  many  a  one  of  the  exchanged  captives 
brought  back  a  rollicking  "prison  glee;"  and  some  sing,  even  to-day, 
the  legend  of  "Fort  Delaware,  Del." 

The  "Prison  Wails  "of  Thomas  F.  Roche,  a  Marylander  long 
captive,  is  a  close  and  clever  parody  on  General  LytelFs  "  I  am  dying, 
Egypt,"  which  came  through  the  lines  and  won  warm  admirers 
South.  It  describes  prison  discipline,  diet  and  dirt,  with  keen  point 
and  broad  grin.  From  its  opening  lines: 

"I  am  busted,  mother — busted! 

Gone  th'  last  unhappy  check ; 
And  th'  infernal  sutlers'  prices 

Make  my  pocket-book  a  wreck  ! — " 

4o  the  human,  piteous  plaint  that  ends  it : 


Four  Years  in  Rebel  Capitals.  307 

"Ah!  Once  more,  among  the  lucky, 

Let  thy  hopeful  buy  and  swell ; 
Bankers  and  rich  brokers  aid  thee  ! 

Shell !  sweet  mother  mine,  Oh !  shell ! — " 

the  original  is  closely  followed  and  equally  distorted. 

But  strangest,  amid  all  strange  humors  of  the  war,  was  that  which 
echoed  laughter  over  the  leaguered  walls  of  scarred,  starving,  desperate 
Vicksburg !  No  siege  in  all  history  tells  of  greater  peril  and  suffering, 
borne  with  wondrous  endurance  and  heroism,  by  men  and  women. 
It  is  a  story  of  privation  unparalleled,  met  by  fortitude  and  calm 
acceptance  which  recall  the  early  martyrdoms  for  faith  !  And,  indeed, 
love  of  country  grew  to  be  a  religion,  especially  with  the  women  of 
the  South,  though  happily  none  proved  it  by  stress  so  dire  as  those  of 
her  heroic  city ;  and  they  cherished  it  in  the  darkest  midnight  of 
their : cause,  with  constancy  and  hope  that  nerved  the  strong  and 
shamed  the  laggard. 

That  history  is  one  long  series  of  perils  and  privations — of  abso- 
lute isolation — sufficient  to  have  worn  down  the  strongest  and  to  have 
quenched  even 

The  smile  of  the  South,  on  the  lips  and  the  eyes — 
Of  her  barefooted  boys ! 

Yet,  even  in  Vicksburg — torn  by  shot  and  shell,  hopeless  of  relief 
from  without,  reduced  to  direst  straits  of  hunger  within — the  su- 
preme rebel  humor  rose  above  nature ;  and  men  toiled  and  starved, 
fought  their  hopeless  fight  and  died — not  with  the  stoicism  of  the 
fatalist,  but  with  the  cheerfulness  of  duty  well  performed!  And 
when  Vicksburg  fell,  a  curious  proof  of  this  was  found ;  a  manuscript 
bill-of-fare,  surmounted  by  rough  sketch  of  a  mule's  head  crossed  by 
a  human  hand  holding  a  Bowie-knife.  That  memorable  menu  reads : 

HOTEL  DE  VICKSBURG,  BILL  OF  FARE,  FOR  JULY,   1863. 

SOUP  :  Mule  tail. 

BOILED  :  Mule  bacon,  with  poke  greens  ;  mule  ham,  canvassed. 

ROAST  :  Mule  sirloin  ;  mule  rump,  stuffed  with  rice ;  saddle- 
of-mule,  a  Parmee. 

VEGETABLES  :  Boiled  rice  ;  rice,  hard  boiled  ;  hard  rice,  any 
-way. 

ENTREES  :  Mule  head,  stuffed  d  la  Reb;  mule  beef,  jerked  d  la 


308  Four  Years  in  Rebel  Capitals. 

Yankie;  mule  ears,  fricasseed  a  la  getch;  mule  side,  stewed — new- 
style,  hair  on  ;  mule  liver,  hashed  d  I' explosion. 

SIDE  DISHES:  Mule  salad;  mule  hoof,  soused;  mule  brains  d 
Pomelette ;  mule  kidneys,  braists  on  ramrod ;  mule  tripe,  on  half 
(Parrot)  shell ;  mule  tongue,  cold,  d  la  Bray. 

JELLIES  :  Mule  foot  (3-to-yard) ;  mule  bone,  a  la  trench, 
t  PASTRY  :    Rice   pudding,  pokeberry  sauce  ;    cottonwood-berry 

pie,  d  la  iron-clad  ;  chinaberry  tart. 

DESSERT:  White-oak  acorns  ;  beech-nuts;  blackberry-leaf  tea ;, 
genuine  Confederate  coffee. 

LIQUORS  :  Mississippi  water,  vintage  1492,  very  superior,  $3 ; 
limestone  water,  late  importation,  very  fine,  $3-75;  spring  water, 
Vicksburg  bottled  up,  $4. 

Meals  at  few  hours.  Gentlemen  to  wait  upon  themselves.  Any 
inattention  in  service  should  be  promptly  reported  at  the  office. 

JEFF  DAVIS  &  Co.,  Proprietors. 

CARD:  The  proprietors  of  the  justly-celebrated  Hotel  de 
Vicksburg,  having  enlarged  and  refitted  the  same,  are  now  pre- 
pared to  accommodate  all  who  may  favor  them  with  a  call.  Par- 
ties arriving  by  the  river,  or  by  Grant's  inland  route,  will  find 
Grape,  Cannister&  Co.'s  carriages  at  the  landing,  or  any  depot  on 
the  line  of  entrenchments.  Buck,  Ball  &  Co.  take  charge  of  all 
baggage.  No  effort  will  be  spared  to  make  the  visit  of  all  as  in- 
teresting as  possible. 

This  capture  was  printed  in  the  Chicago  Tribune,  with  the  cont- 
inent that  it  was  a  ghastly  and  melancholy  burlesque.  There  is 
really  a  train  of  melancholy  in  the  reflection  that  it  was  so  little  of  a 
burlesque;  that  they  who  could  endure  such  a  siege,  on  such  fare, 
should  have  been  compelled  to  bear  their  trial  in  vain.  But  the 
quick-satisfying  reflection  must  follow  of  the  truth,  the  heroism — the 
moral  invincibility — of  a  people  who  could  so  endure  and laugh ! 

But  it  was  not  only  from  the  soldiers  and  the  camps  that  the 
humor  of  the  South  took  its  color.  Spite  of  the  strain  upon  its- 
better  part — from  anxiety,  hope-deferred  and  actual  privation — the 
society  of  every  city  keeps  green  memories  of  brilliant  things  said  and 
written,  on  the  spur  of  excitement  and  contact,  that  kept  the  sense 
of  the  whole  people  keenly  alert  for  any  point — whether  serious  or 
ridiculous. 

The  society  of  the  Capital  was  marked  evidence  of  this.  It  pre- 
served many  epigrammatic  gems;  often  coming  from  the  better — and 
brighter — half  of  its  composition.  For  Richmond  women  had  long 


Four  Years  in  Rebel  Capitals.  309 

been  noted  for  society  ease  and  aplomb,  as  well  as  for  quickness  of 
wit;  and  now  the  social  amalgam  held  stranger  dames  and  maidens 
who  might  have  shown  in  any  salon. 

A  friend  of  the  writer — then  a  gallant  staff-officer ;  now  a  grave, 
sedate  and  semi-bald  counsellor — had  lately  returned  from  European 
capitals;  and  he  was,  of  course,  in  envied  possession  of  brilliant 
uniform  and  equipment.  At  a  certain  ball,  his  glittering  blind-spurs 
became  entangled  in  the  flowing  train  of  a  dancing  belle — one  of  the 
most  brilliant  of  the  set.  She  stopped  in  mid- waltz;  touched  my 
friend  on  the  broidered  chevron  with  taper  fingers,  and  sweetly  said : 

"  Captain,  may  I  trouble  you  to  dismount  ?" 

Another  noted  girl — closely  connected  with  the  administration — 
made  one  of  a  distinguished  party  invited  by  Secretary  Mallory  to 
Inspect  a  newly-completed  iron-clad,  lying  near  the  city.  It  was 
after  many  reverses  had  struck  the  navy,  causing — as  heretofore 
shown — destruction  of  similar  ships.  Every  detail  of  this  one  ex- 
plained, lunch  over  and  her  good  fortune  drunk,  the  party  were 
descending  the  steps  to  the  captain's  gig,  when  this  belle  stopped 
short. 

"Oh!  Mr.  Secretary!"  she  smiled  innocently — "You  forgot  to 
show  us  one  thing !" 

"  Indeed  ?"  was  the  bland  query — "  Pray  what  was  it  ?" 

To  which  came  the  startling  rejoinder : 

"  Why  your  arrangement  for  blowing  them  up  !" 

There  was  one  handsome  and  dashing  young  aide,  equally  noted 
for  influence  at  division-headquarters,  which  sent  him  constantly  to 
Richmond ;  and  for  persistent  devotion,  when  there,  to  a  sharp- 
witted  belle  with  a  great  fortune.  One  night  he  appeared  at  a  soiree 
in  brand  new  uniform,  his  captain's  bars  replaced  by  the  major's  star 
on  the  collar.  The  belle,  leaning  on  his  arm  wearily,  was  pouting ; 
when  another  passed  and  said:  "I  congratulate  you,  major.  And 
what  are  your  new  duties  ?  " 

The  officer  hesitated  only  one  instant,  but  that  was  fatal ;  for  the 
lady  on  his  arm  softly  lisped:  "Oh!  he  is  Mrs.  General 's com- 
missary, with  the  rank  of  major !" 

It  is  needless  to  add  that  the  epigram — unjust  as  it  was — had  its 
effect ;  and  the  belle  was  no  more  besieged. 

But  of  all  the  bright  coteries  in  Richmond  society — its  very  area- 


310  Four   Years  in  Rebel  Capitals. 

num  of  wit,  brilliance  and  culture — rises  to  memory  that  wholly^ 
unique  set,  that  came  somehow  to  be  called  "the  Mosaic  Club." 
Organization  it  was  none ;  only  a  clique  of  men  and  women — mar- 
ried as  well  as  single — that  comprised  the  best  intellects  and  prettiest 
accomplishments  of  the  Capital.  Many  of  the  ladies  were  Will 
Wyatt's  "easy  goers;"  ever  tolerant,  genial  and  genuine  at  the 
symposia  of  the  Mosaics,  as  they  showed  behind  their  chevaux-de- 
frise  of  knitting-needles  elsewhere.  Some  of  them  have  since 
graced  happy  and  luxurious  homes;  some  have  struggled  with  pov- 
erty and  sorrow  as  only  true  womanhood  may  struggle ;  some  have 
fought  out  the  battle  of  life,  sleeping  now  at  rest  forever.  But  one 
and  all  then  faced  their  duty — sad,  bitter,  uncongenial  as  it  might  be 
— with  loyalty  and  tender  truth ;  one  and  all  were  strong  enough  to  put 
by  somber  things,  when  meet  to  do  so,  and  enjoy  to  the  full  the 
better  pleasures  society  might  offer. 

And  the  men  one  met  wore  wreaths  upon  their  collars  often ; 
quite  as  likely  chevrons  of  "the  men"  upon  their  sleeves.  Cabinet 
ministers,  poets,  statesmen,  artists,  and  clergymen  even  were  admitted 
to  the  "Mosaics;"  the  only  "  Open  sesame  I"  to  which  its  doors  fell 
wide  being  that  patent  of  nobility  stamped  by  brain  and  worth  alone. 

Without  organization,  without  officers ;  grown  of  itself  and  meeting 
as  chance,  or  winter  inactivity  along  army  lines  dictated — the  Mosaic 
Club  had  no  habitat.  Collecting  in  one  hospitable  parlor,  or  another 
— as  good  fortune  happened  to  provide  better  material  for  the 
delighting  "muffin-match,"  or  the  entrancing  "waffle-worry,"  as 
Will  Wyatt  described  those  festal  procedures — the  intimates  who 
chanced  in  town  were  bidden ;  or,  hearing  of  it,  came  to  the  feast  of 
waffles  and  the  flow  of  coffee — real  coffee !  without  bids.  They  were 
ever  welcome  and  knew  it ;  and  they  were  likewise  sure  of  something 
even  better  than  muffins,  or  coffee,  to  society-hungry  men  from  the 
camps.  And  once  gathered,  the  serious  business  of  "teaing"  over, 
the  fun  of  the  evening  began. 

The  unwritten  rule — indeed,  the  only  rule — was  the  "forfeit 
essay,"  a  game  productive  of  so  much  that  was  novel  and  brilliant, 
that  no  later  invention  of  peace-times  has  equaled  it.  At  each 
meeting  two  hats  would  be  handed  round,  all  drawing  a  question 
from  the  one,  a  word  from  the  other ;  question  and  word  to  be  con- 
nected in  either  a  song,  poem,  essay,  or  tale  for  the  next  meeting. 


Four  Years  in  Rebel  Capitals.  311 

Then,  after  the  drawing  for  forfeits,  came  the  results  of  the  last 
lottery  of  brain ;  interspersed  with  music  by  the  best  performers  and 
singers  of  the  city;  with  jest  and  seriously-brilliant  talk,  until  the  wee 
sma'  hours,  indeed. 

O !  those  nights  ambrosial,  if  not  of  Ambrose's,  which  dashed  the 
somber  picture  of  war  round  Richmond,  with  high-lights  boldly  put 
in  by  master-hands !  Of  them  were  quaint  George  Bagby,  Virginia's 
pet  humorist ;  gallant,  cultured  Willie  Meyers ;  original  Trav  Daniel ;. 
Washington,  artist,  poet  and  musician;  Page  McCarty,  recklessly 
brilliant  in  field  and  frolic  alike;  Ham  Chamberlayne,  quaint,  culti- 
vated and  colossal  in  originality;  Key,  Elder  and  other  artists;, 
genial,  jovial  Jim  Pegram ;  Harry  Stanton,  Kentucky's  soldier  poet — 
and  a  score  of  others  who  won  fame,  even  if  some  of  them  lost  life 
—on  far  different  fields.  There  rare  ' '  Ran  "  Tucker — later  famed 
in  Congress  and  law  school — told  inimitably  the  story  of  "The  time 
the  stars  fell,"  or  sang  the  unprecedented  ballad  of  "The  Noble 
Skewball,"  in  his  own  unprecedented  fashion! 

It  was  at  the  Mosaic  that  Innes  Randolph  first  sang  his  now  famous 
"Good  Old  Rebel"  song;  and  there  his  marvelous  quickness  was 
Aaron's  rod  to  swallow  all  the  rest.  -As  example,  once  he  drew 
from  one  hat  the  words,  "Daddy  Longlegs ; "  from  the  other,  the 
question,  "What  sort  of  shoe  was  made  on  the  Last  of  the  Mohi- 
cans?" Not  high  wit  these,  to  ordinary  seeming;  and  yet  apparent 
posers  for  sensible  rhyme.  But  they  puzzled  Randolph  not  a  whit ; 
and — waiving  his  "  grace  "  until  the  subsequent  meeting,  he  rattled 
off  extempore: 

"  Old  Daddy  Longlegs  was  a  sinner  hoary 
And  punished  for  his  wickedness,  according  to  the  story. 
Between  him  and  the  Indian  shoe,  this  likeness  doth  come  in,. 
One  made  a  mock  o'  virtue,  and  one  a  moccasin  !  " 

Laughter  and  applause  were,  in  mid-roar,  cut  by  Randolph's  voice 
calling: 

Corollary  first :  If  Daddy  Longlegs  stole  the  Indian's  shoe  to  keep  his  foot 
warm,  that  was  no  excuse  for  him  to  steal  his  house,  to  keep  his  wigwam. 

And  again  he  broke  down — only  to  renew — the  chorus  with : 

Corollary  second :  Because  the  Indian's  shoe  did  not  fit  ary  Mohawk,  was  no> 
reason  that  it  wouldn't  fit  Narragansett ! 

Such,  in  brief  retrospect  was  the  Mosaic  Club !    Such  in  part  the 


312  Four  Years  in  .Rebel  Capitals. 

fun  and  fancy  and  frolic  that  filled  those  winter  nights  in  Richmond, 
when  sleet  and  mud  made  movements  of  armies,  ' '  Heaven  bless  us ! 
a  thing  of  naught!" 

The  old  colonel — that  staff  veteran,  so  often  quoted  in  these  pages 
— was  a  rare,  if  unconscious  humorist.  Gourmet  born,  connoisseur 
by  instinct  and  clubman  by  life  habit,  the  colonel  writhed  in  spirit 
under  discomfort  and  camp  fare,  even  while  he  bore  both  heroically 
in  the  flesh ;  his  two  hundred  and  sixty  pounds  of  it !  Once,  Styles 
Staple  and  Will  Wyatt  met  him,  inspecting  troops  in  a  West  Virginia 
town;  and  they  received  a  long  lecture,  d  la  Brillat  Savarin,  on  enor- 
mities of  the  kitchen. 

"And  these  people  have  fine  wines,  too,"  sadly  wound  up  the 
colonel.  "Marvelous  wines,  egad!  But  they  don't  know  how  to 
let  you  enjoy  them !" 

"  'Tis  a  hard  case,"  sympathized  Styles,  "  I  do  hear  sometimes  of  a 
fellow  getting  a  stray  tea,  but  as  for  a  dinner !  It's  no  use,  colonel ; 
these  people  either  don't  dine  themselves,  or  they  imagine  we  don't." 

"Did  it  ever  strike  you,"  said  the  colonel,  waxing  philosophic, 
"  that  you  can't  dine  in  but  two  places  south  of  the  Potomac  ? 
True,  sir.  Egad!  You  may  stumble  upon  a  country  gentleman 
with  a  plentiful  larder  and  a  passable  cook,  but  then,  egad,  sir !  he's 
an  oasis.  The  mass  of  the  people  South  don't  live,  sir !  they  vege- 
tate— vegetate  and  nothing  else.  You  get  watery  soups.  Then  they 
offer  you  mellow  madeira  with  some  hot,  beastly  joint ;  and  oily  old 
sherry  with  some  confounded  stew.  Splendid  materials — materials 
that  the  hand  of  an  artist  would  make  luscious — egad,  sir;  luscious — 
utterly  ruined  in  the  handling.  It's  too  bad,  Styles,  too  bad  !*' 

"It  is,  indeed,"  put  in  Wyatt,  falling  into  the  colonel's  vein, 
"too  Dad!  And  as  for  steaks,  why,  sir,  there  is  not  a  steak  ia  this 
whole  country.  They  stew  them,  colonel,  actually  stew  beefsteaks! 
Listen  to  the  receipt  a  'notable  housewife'  gave  me:  'Put  a  juicy 
steak,  cut  two  inches  thick,  in  a  saucepan;  cover  it  well  with  water; 
put  in  a  large  lump  of  lard  and  two  sliced  onions.  Let  it  simmer 
till  the  water  dries  ;  add  a  small  lump  of  butter  and  a  dash  of  pepper 
— and  it's  done !'  Think  of  that,  sir,  for  a  bonne  bouche  !" 

"  Good  God !"  ejaculated  the  colonel,  with  beads  on  his  brow.  "  I 
have  seen  those  things,  but  I  never  knew  how  they  were  done !  I 
shall  dream  of  this,  egad !  for  weeks." 


Four   Years  in  Rebel  Capitals.  313 

"  Fact,  sir,"  Wyatt  added,  "  and  I've  a  theory  that  no  nation  de- 
serves its  liberties  that  stews  its  steaks.  Can't  gain  them,  sir !  How 
can  men  legislate — how  can  men  fight  with  a  pound  of  stewed 
abomination  holding  them  like  lead  ?  '  Bold  and  erect  the  Cale- 
donian stood,'  but  how  long  do  you  think  he  would  have  been 
'bold,'  if  they  had  stewed  his  'rare  beef  for  him?  No,  sir!  mark 
my  words :  the  nation  that  stews  its  beefsteaks  contracts  its  bounda- 
ries !  As  for  an  omelette — " 

"Say  no  more,  Will!"  broke  in  the  colonel  solemnly.  "After 
the  war,  come  to  my  club  and  we'll  dine — egad,  sir!  for  a  week!" 

That  invincible  pluck  of  the  southron,  which  carried  him  through 
starvation  and  the  sweltering  march  of  August,  through  hailing  shot 
and  shell,  and  freezing  mud  of  midwinter  camps — was  unconquered 
even  after  the  surrender.  Equally  invincible  was  that  twin  humor, 
which  laughed  amid  all  these  and  bore  up,  even  in  defeat.  Some  of 
the  keenest  hits  of  all  the  war — tinctured  though  they  be  with  nat- 
ural bitterness — are  recalled  from  those  days,  when  the  beaten,  but 
defiant,  Rebel  was  passing  under  the  victor's  yoke. 

Surprising,  indeed,  to  its  administrators  must  have  been  the  result 
of  "the  oath,"  forced  upon  one  green  cavalryman,  before  he  could 
return  to  family  and  farm.  Swallowing  the  obnoxious  allegiance,  he 
turned  to  the  Federal  officer  and  quietly  asked : 

"Wail,  an'  now  I  reck'n  I'm  loyil,  ain't  I?" 

"  Oh,  yes!  You're  all  right,"  carelessly  replied  the  captor. 

"An'  ef  I'm  loyil,  I'm  same  as  you  'uns?"  persisted  the  lately 
sworn.  "  We're  all  good  Union  alike,  eh?" 

"Oh,  yes,"  the  officer  humored  him.     "  We're  all  one  now."    '" 

"Wail  then,"  rejoined  Johnny  Reb  slowly,  "didn't  them  darned 
rebs  jest  geen  us  hell  sometimes  ?" 

City  Point,  on  the  James  river,  was  the  landing  for  transports 
with  soldiers  released  from  northern  prisons,  after  parole.  A  bustling, 
self-important  major  of  United  States  volunteers  was  at  one  time 
there,  in  charge.  One  day  a  most  woe-begone,  tattered  and  emaci- 
ated "  Johnnie"  sat  swinging  his  shoeless  feet  from  a  barrel,  await- 
ing his  turn. 

"  It  isn't  far  to  Richmond,"  suddenly  remarked  the  smart  major, 
to  nobody  in  particular. 

"  Reck'n  et's  neer  onto  three  thousin'  mile,"  drawled  the  Confed. 
weakly. 


314  Four  Years  in  Rebel  Capitals. 

"  Nonsense!    You  must  be  crazy,"  retorted  the  officer  staring. 

"Wail,  I  ent  a-reck'nin'  adzact,"  was  the  slow  reply — "Jest  tho't 
so,  kinder." 

"Oh!  you  did?     And  pray  why?" 

"  Cos  et's  took'n  you'uns  nigh  onto  foore  year  to  git  thar  from 
Wash'nton,"  was  the  settling  retort. 

In  the  provost-marshal's  department  at  Richmond,  shortly  after 
surrender,  was  the  neatest  and  most  irrepressible  of  youths.  Never 
discourteous  and  often  too  sympathetic,  he  was  so  overcurious  as  to 
be  what  sailors  describe  as*  "In  everybody's  mess  and  nobody's 
watch."  One  day  a  quaint,  Dickensesque  old  lady  stood  hesitant  in 
the  office  doorway.  Short,  wrinkled  and  bent  with  age,  she  wore  a 
bombazine  gown  of  antique  cut — its  whilom  black  red-rusty  from 
time's  dye.  But  "  Aunt  Sallie"  was  a  character  in  Henrico  county; 
and  noted  withal  for  the  sharpest  of  tongues  and  a  fierce  pair  of  un- 
dimmed  eyes,  which  now  shone  under  the  dingy-brown  poke  bonnet. 
Toward  her  sallied  the  flippant  young  underling,  with  the  greeting : 

"  Well,  madam,  what  do  you  wish  ?" 

"What  do  I  wish?"  The  old  lady  grew  restive  and  battle- 
hungry. 

"  Yes'm!     That's  what  I  asked,"  retorted  the  youth  sharply. 

"What  do  I  wish?"  slowly  repeated  the  still-rebellious  dame. 
"  Well,  if  you  must  know,  I  wish  all  you  Yankees  were  in hell !  " 

But  not  all  the  humor  was  confined  to  the  governing  race;  some 
of  its  points  cropping  out  sharply  here  and  there,  from  under  the 

wool  of  "  the  oppressed  brother" in-law.  One  case  is  recalled  of 

the  spoiled  body  servant  of  a  gallant  Carolinian,  one  of  General 
Wheeler's  brigade  commanders.  His  master  reproved  his  speech 
thus: 

"Peter,  you  rascal!  Why  don't  you  speak  English,  instead  of 
saying  'wah  yo'  is'  ?  " 

"  Waffer,  Mars'  Sam?"  queried  the  negro  with  an  innocent  grin. 
"  Yo  allus  calls  de  Gen'ral—  Weel-er  ?  " 

Another,  close  following  the  occupation,  has  a  spice  of  higher 
satire.  A  Richmond  friend  had  a  petted  maid,  who — devoted  and 
constant  to  her  mistress,  even  in  those  tempting  days — still  burned 
with  genuine  negro  curiosity  for  a  sight  of  everything  pertaining  to 
"  Mars'  Linkum's  men" — especially  for  "  de  skule." 


Four  Years  in  Rebel  Capitals.  315 

For  swift,  indeed,  were  the  newcome  saints  to  preach  the  Evangel 
of  alphabet ;  and  negro  schools  seemed  to  have  been  smuggled  in  by 
every  army  ambulance,  so  numerously  did  they  spring  up  in  the  capt- 
ured Capital.  So,  early  one  day,  Clarissa  Sophia,  the  maid  of  color, 
donned  her  very  best  and,  "with  shiny  morning  face,"  hied  her, 
like  anything  but  a  snail,  to  school.  Very  brief  was  her  absence  ; 
her  return  reticent,  but  pouting  and  with  unduly  tip-tilted  nose.  Af- 
ter a  time  negro  love  for  confidences  conquered ;  and  the  murder 
came  out. 

The  school-room  had  been  packed  and  pervaded  with  odors — of 
sanctity,  or  otherwise — when  a  keen-nosed  and  eager  school-marm  rose 
up  to  exhort  her  class.  She  began  by  impressing  the  great  truth  that 
every  sister  present  was  "  born  free  and  equal ;"  was  "  quite  as  good  " 
as  she  was. 

"Wa'  dat  yo's  sain'  now?"  interrupted  Clarissa  Sophia.  "Yo* 
say  Ise  jess  ekal  as  yo'  is  ?  " 

"  Yes ;  I  said  so,"  was  the  sharp  retort,  "  and  I  can  prove  it ! " 

"Ho !  'Tain't  no  need,"  replied  the  lately  disenthralled.  "  Reck'n 
I  is,  sho'  nuff.  But  does  yo'  say  dat  Ise  good  as  missus? — my 
missus?" 

"  Certainly  you  are! "     This  with  asperity. 

"Den  Ise  jess  gwine  out  yere,  rite  off!"  cried  Clarissa  Sophia, 
suiting  action  to  word — "  Ef  Ise  good  as  my  missus,  I'se  goin'  ter 
quit ;  fur  I  jess  know  she  ent  'soshiatin'  wid  no  sich  wite  trash  like 
you  is! " 

And  so — under  all  skies  and  among  all  colors — the  war  dragged  its 
weary  length  out ;  amid  sufferings  and  sacrifices,  which  may  never 
be  recorded ;  and  which  were  still  illumined  by  the  flashes  of  un- 
quenchable humor — God's  tonic  for  the  heart ! 

Had  every  camp  contained  its  Froissart — had  every  social  circle 
held  its  Boswell — what  a  record  would  there  be,  for  reading  by  gen- 
erations yet  unborn  ! 

But — when  finished,  as  this  cramped  and  quite  unworthy  chronicle 
of  random  recollections  is — then  might  the  reader  still  quote  justly 
her  of  Sheba,  exclaiming  : 

"  And  behold !  the  one-half  of  the  greatness  of  thy  wisdom  was  not 
told  me !  " 


.316  Four  Years  in  Rebel  Capitals. 


CHAPTER  XXXIV. 

THE   BEGINNING   OF   THE   END. 

While  neither  in  itself — perhaps  not  the  combination  of  the  two — 
was  final  and  conclusive,  the  beginning  of  the  end  of*  the  Confeder- 
acy may  be  dated  from  the  loss  of  Vicksburg  and  the  simultaneous 
retreat  from  Gettysburg.  For  these  two  disasters  made  all  classes 
consider  more  deeply,  both  their  inducing  causes  and  the  final  results 
that  must  follow  a  succession  of  such  crushing  blows. 

There  can  be  little  doubt  that  a  complete  victory  at  Gettysburg, 
vigorously  followed  up,  would  have  ended  the  war ;  and  the  gener- 
ally-accepted belief  in  the  South  was  that  the  exhaustive  defeat  was 
proportionately  bad.  The  war  had  been  going  on  two  years  and  a 
half.  Every  device  had  been  used  to  put  the  whole  numerical 
strength  of  the  country  into  the  field  and  to  utilize  its  every  resource. 

.The  South  had  succeeded  to  a  degree  that  stupefied  the  outside  world 

land  astonished  even  herself.  But  the  effort  had  exhausted,  and  left 
her  unfit  to  renew  it.  Over  and  again  the  armies  of  the  East  and  West 
had  been  re-enforced,  reorganized  and  re-equipped — and  ever  came 
the  heavy,  relentless  blows  of  the  seemingly-exhaustless  power,  strug- 
gled against  so  vainly.  The  South  had  inflicted  heavy  loss  in  men, 

'material  and  prestige;  but  she  wasted  her  strength  in  these  blows, 
while  unhappily  she  could  not  make  them  effective  by  quick  rep- 
etition. 

The  people,  too,  had  lost  their  early  faith  in  the  Government. 

'They  had  submitted  to  the  most  stringent  levy  of  conscription  and 
impressment  ever  imposed  upon  a  nation.  They  had  willingly  left 
their  fields  to  grow  weeds,  their  children  to  run  wild  and  perhaps  to 
starve ;  they  had  cheerfully  divided  their  last  supplies  of  food  with 
the  Government,  and  had  gone  to  the  front  steadily  and  hopefully. 
But  now  they  could  not  fail  to  see  that,  in  some  points  at  least,  there 
had  been  gross  mismanagement.  The  food  for  which  their  families 
were  pinched  and  almost  starved,  did  not  come  to  the  armies.  Vast 
stores  of  provision  and  supplies  were  blocked  on  the  roads,  while 


Four  Years  in  Rebel  Capitals. 

speculators'  ventures  passed  over  them.  This,  the  soldiers  in  the 
trench  and  the  laborer  at  the  anvil  saw  equally. 

They  saw,  too,  that  the  Government  was  divided  against  itself;, 
for  the  worse  than  weak  Congress — which  had  formerly  been  as  a 
nose  of  wax  in  Mr.  Davis'  fingers — had  now  turned  dead  against 
him.  With  the  stolid  obstinacy  of  stupidity  it  now  refused  to  see 
any  good  in  any  measure,  or  in  any  man,  approved  by  the  Executive. 

Under  the  leadership  of  Mr.  Foote — who  wasted  the  precious 
time  of  Congress  in  windy  personal  diatribes  against  Mr.  Davis  and 
his  "  pets" — nothing  was  done  to  combine  and  strengthen  the  rapidly 
sundering  elements  of  Confederate  strength.  Long  debates  on  General 
Pemberton ;  weighty  disquisitions  on  such  grave  subjects  as  the  num- 
ber of  pounds  of  pork  on  hand  when  Vicksburg  was  surrendered;  and 
violent  attacks  on  the  whole  past  course  of  the  administration,  occu- 
pied the  minds  of  those  lawgivers.  But  at  this  time  there  was  no  sin- 
glejneasure  originated  that  proposed  to  stop  the  troubles  in  thefuture. 

Therefore,  the  people  lost  confidence  in  the  divided  Government;, 
and  losing  it  began  to  distrust  themselves.  Suffering  so.  for  it,  they 
could  not  fail  to  know  the  terrible  strain  te  which  the  country  had 
been  subjected.  They  knew  that  her  resources  in  men  and  material 
had  been  taxed  to  the  limit ;  that  there  was  no  fresh  supply  of  either 
upon  which  to  draw.  This  was  the  forlorn  view  that  greeted  them 
when  they  looked  within.  And  outside,  fresh  armies  faced  and  threat- 
ened them  on  every  side — increased  rather  than  diminished,  and  better 
armed  and  provided  than  ever  before. 

This  state  of  things  was  too  patent  not  to  be  seen  by  the  plainest 

men;  and  seeing  it,  those  became  dispirited  who  never  had  doubted 

before.     And  this  time,  the  gloom  did  not  lift ;  it  became  a  settled 

I  and  dogged  conviction  that  we  were  fighting  the  good  fight  almost 

!  against  hope.     Not  that  this  prevented  the  army  and  the  people  from 

working  still,  with  every  nerve  strained  to  its  utmost  tension ;    but 

they  worked  without  the  cheery  hopefulness  of  the  past. 

Fate  seemed  against  them.  Had  they  been  Turks  they  would 
have  said:  "It  is  kismet!  Allah  is  great!"  As  they  were  only 
staunch  patriots,  they  reasoned :  "  It  is  fearful  odds — but  we  may 
win."  And  so  solemnly,  gloomily — but  none  the  less  determined — 
the  South  again  prepared  for  the  scarcely  doubtful  strife. 

The  stringent  addenda  to  the  Conscription  law — that  had  come  too 
late — were  put  into  force.  All  men  that  could  possibly  be  spared — 


318  Four  Years  in  Rebel  Capitals. 

and  whom  the  trickery  of  influence  could  not  relieve — were  sent  to 
the  front;  and  their  places  in  the  Government  were  filled  by  the 
aged,  the  disabled,  and  by  women.  In  the  Government  departments 
of  Richmond — and  in  their  branches  further  South — the  first  ladies 
of  the  land  took  position  as  clerks — driven  to  it  by  stress  of  circum- 
stances. And  now  as  ever — whether  in  the  arsenals,  the  factories, 
or  the  accountant's  desk — the  women  of  the  South  performed  their 
labor  faithfully,  earnestly  and  well.  Those  men  who  could  not  pos- 
sibly be  spared,  were  formed  into  companies  for  local  defense  ;  were 
regularly  drilled,  mustered  into  service,  and  became  in  fact  regular 
soldiers,  simply  detailed  to  perform  other  work.  When  the  wild  notes 
of  the  alarm  bell  sent  their  frequent  peals  over  Richmond,  and  warned 
of  an  approaching  raid — armorer,  butcher  and  clerk  threw  down 
hammer  and  knife  and  pen,  and  seized  their  muskets  to  hasten  to  the 
rendezvous.  Even  the  shopkeepers  and  speculators,  who  seemed 
conscription-proof,  were  mustered  into  some  sort  of  form  ;  driven  to 
make  at  least  a  show  of  resistance  to  the  raid,  by  which  they  would 
suffer  more  than  any  others.  But  it  was  only  a  show  ;  and  so  much 
more  attention  was  paid  in  these  organizations  to  filling  of  the  com- 
missary wagon  than  of  the  cartridge-box,  that  the  camps  of  such 
"  melish,"  in  the  woods  around  Richmond,  were  converted  more  into 
a  picnic  than  a  defense. 

Supplies  of  war  material,  of  clothing,  and  of  arms,  had  now  be- 
come as  scarce  as  men.  The  constant  drain  had  to  be  supplied  from 
manufactories,  worked  under  great  difficulties  ;  and  these  now  were 
almost  paralyzed  by  the  necessity  for  their  operatives  at  the  front. 
Old  supplies  of  iron,  coal  and  ore  had  been  worked  up ;  and  obtain- 
ing and  utilizing  fresh  ones  demanded  an  amount  of  labor  that  could  not 
be  spared.  The  blockade  had  now  become  thoroughly  effective ;  and, 
except  a  rare  venture  at  some  unlooked-for  spot  upon  the  coast,  no 
vessel  was  expected  to  come  safely  through  the  network  of  ships. 
Blankets  and  shoes  had  almost  completely  given  out ;  and  a  large 
proportion  of  the  army  went  barefoot  and  wrapped  in  rugs  given  by 
the  ladies  of  the  cities,  who  cut  up  their  carpets  for  that  purpose. 

Yet,  in  view  of  all  this  privation ;  with  a  keen  sense  of  their  own 
sacrifices  and  a  growing  conviction  that  they  were  made  in  vain,  the 
army  kept  up  in  tone  and  spirits.  There  was  no  intention  or  desire 
to  yield,  as  long  as  a  blow  could  be  struck  for  the  cause;  and  the 
veteran  and  the  "new  issue" — as  the  new  conscripts  were  called  in 


Four  Years  in  Rebel  Capitals.  319 

derision  of  the  currency — alike  determined  to  work  on  as  steadily,  if 
not  so  cheerily,  as  before. 

And  still  Congress  wrangled  on  with  Government  and  within 
itself;  still  Mr.  Foote  blew  clouds  of  vituperative  gas  at  President  and 
Cabinet;  still  Mr.  Davis  retained,  in  council  and  field,  the  men  he 
had  chosen.  And  daily  he  grew  more  unpopular  with  the  people, 
who,  disagreeing  with  him,  still  held  him  in  awe,  while  they  despised 
the  Congress.  Even  in  this  strait,  the  old  delusion  about  the  col- 
lapse of  Federal  finance  occasionally  came  up  for  hopeful  discussion ; 
and,  from  time  to  time,  Mr.  Benjamin  would  put  out  a  feeler  about 
recognition  from  governments  that  remembered  us  less  than  had  we 
really  been  behind  the  great  wall  of  China. 

After  Gettysburg  and  Vicksburg,  came  a  lull  in  the  heavier  opera- 
tions of  the  war.  But  raids  of  the  enemy's  cavalry  were  organized 
and  sent  to  penetrate  the  interior  South,  in  every  direction.  To  meet 
them  were  only  home  guards  and  the  militia;  with  sometimes  a 
detachment  of  cavalry,  hastily  brought  up  from  a  distant  point.  This 
latter  branch  of  service,  as  well  as  light  artillery,  now  began  to  give 
way.  The  fearful  strain  upon  both,  in  forced  and  distant  marches, 
added  to  the  wearing  campaigns  over  the  Potomac,  had  used  up  the 
breed  of  horses  in  the  South.  Those  remaining  were  broken  down 
by  hard  work  and  half  feed;  so  that  one-half  the  cavalry  was  dis- 
mounted— belonging  to  "Company  Q"  the  men  called  it — and  the 
rest  was  scarcely  available  for  a  rapid  march,  or  a  very  heavy  shock. 

But  the  cavalry  of  the  enemy  had  increased  wonderfully  in  drill, 
discipline  and  general  efficiency.  Armed  with  the  best  weapons, 
mounted  upon  choice  horses,  composed  of  picked  men  and  officered 
by  the  boldest  spirits  in  the  North,  Federal  cavalry  now  began  to  be 
the  most  potent  arm  of  their  service.  Men  sadly  recalled  the  pleas- 
ant days  when  the  brilliant  squadrons  of  Hampton,  or  Fitz  Lee — 
the  flower  of  the  South,  mounted  on  its  best  blood  stock — dashed 
laughingly  down  upon  three  times  their  force,  only  to  see  them 
break  and  scatter;  while  many  of  their  number  rolled  over  the 
plain,  by  the  acts  of  their  own  steeds  rather  than  of  hostile  sabers. 
Even  much  later,  when  the  men  were  ragged  and  badly  armed,  and 
the  horses  were  gaunt  from  famine,  they  still  could  meet  the  im- 
proving horsemen  of  the  enemy  and  come  off  victors — as  witness  the 
battles  of  the  Fords.  But  now  the  Yankees  had  learned  to  fight — and 
more  incomprehensible  still  to  the  Reb,  they  had  learned  to  ride ! 


320  Four  Years  in  Rebel  Capitals. 

They  were  superior  in  numbers,  equipment,  and — to  be  honest — in 
discipline;  and  could  no  longer  be  met  with  any  certainty  of  suc- 
cess. It  was  a  bitter  thing  for  the  Golden  Horse  Shoe  Knights; 
but  like  many  ugly  things  about  this  time,  it  was  true.  So  the  Yankee 
raids — aimed  as  a  finality  for  Richmond,  but  ever  failing  approach  to 
their  object — still  managed  to  do  incalculable  mischief.  They  drove 
off  the  few  remaining  cattle,  stole  and  destroyed  the  hoarded  mite 
of  the  widowed  and  unprotected — burned  barns — destroyed  farming 
utensils ;  and,  worse  than  all,  they  demoralized  the  people  and  kept 
them  in  constant  dread. 

As  a  counter-irritant,  and  to  teach  the  enemy  a  lesson,  General 
Morgan,  early  in  July,  started  on  a  raid  into  the  Northwest.  With 
2,000  men  and  a  light  battery,  he  passed  through  Kentucky  and  on 
to  the  river,  leaving  a  line  of  conquest  and  destruction  behind  him — 
here  scattering  a  regiment  of  the  enemy — there  demoralizing  a  home 
guard ;  and,  at  the  river,  fighting  infantry  and  a  gunboat,  and  forc- 
ing his  way  across  into  Indiana.  Great  was  the  scare  in  the  West, 
at  this  first  taste  the  fine  fruits  of  raiding.  Troops  were  telegraphed, 
engines  flew  up  and  down  the  roads  as  if  possessed ;  and  in  short, 
home  guards,  and  other  troops,  were  collected  to  the  number  of 
nearly  30,000  men. 

Evading  pursuit,  and  scattering  the  detached  bands  he  met,  Mor- 
gan crossed  the  Ohio  line — tearing  up  roads,  cutting  telegraphs,  and 
inflicting  much  damage  and  inconceivable  panic — until  he  reached 
within  five  miles  of  Cincinnati.  Of  course,  with  his  merely  nomi- 
nal force,  he  could  make  no  attempt  on  the  city ;  so,  after  fourteen 
days  of  unresting  raiding — his  command  pressed,  worn  out  and 
broken  down — he  headed  for  the  river  once  more.  A  small  portion 
of  the  command  had  already  crossed,  when  the  pursuing  force  came 
up.  Morgan  made  heavy  fight,  but  his  men  were  outnumbered  and 
exhausted.  A  few,  following  him,  cut  their  way  through  the  enemy 
and  fled  along  the  north  bank  of  the  Ohio.  The  pursuit  was  fierce 
and  hot ;  the  flight  determined,  fertile  in  expedients,  but  hopeless  in 
an  enemy's  country,  raised  to  follow  the  cry.  He  was  captured, 
with  most  of  his  staff  and  all  of  his  command  that  was  left — save 
the  few  hundred  who  had  crossed  the  river  and  escaped  into  the 
mountains  of  Virginia. 

Then  for  four  months — until  he  dug  his  way  out  of  his  dungeon 
with  a  small  knife — John  Morgan  was  locked  up  as  a  common  felon, 


Four  Years  in  Rebel  Capitals.  321 

starved,  insulted  and  treated  with  brutality,  the  recital  of  which 
sickens — even  having  his  head  shaved!  There  was  no  excuse  ever 
attempted;  no  pretense  that  he  was  a  guerrilla.  It  was  done  simply 
to  glut  spite  and  to  make  a  dreaded  enemy  feel  his  captors'  power. 

Meantime  General  Bragg,  at  Tullahoma,  faced  by  Rosecrans 
and  flanked  by  Burnside's  "Army  of  the  Cumberland,"  was  forced 
to  fall  back  to  Chattanooga.  Rosecrans  pressed  him  hard,  with  the 
intent  of  carrying  out  that  pet  scheme  of  the  North,  forcing  his  army 
down  through  Georgia  and  riddling  the  Cotton  States.  It  is  inessen- 
tial here  to  recount  the  details  of  these  movements.  Rosecrans  had  a 
heavy  and  compact  force ;  ours  was  weak  and  scattered,  and  Bragg's 
urgent  appeal  for  men  met  the  invariable  answer,  there  were  none  to 
send.  For  the  same  reason — insufficient  force — Buckner  was  forced 
to  abandon  Knoxville ;  and  a  few  weeks  later  Cumberland  Gap,  the 
key-position  to  East  Tennessee  and  Georgia,  was  surrendered  ! 

At  this  critical  juncture  the  loss  of  that  position  could  scarcely  be 
exaggerated ;  and  the  public  indignantly  demanded  of  Government 
why  it  had  been  lost.  The  War  Department  shifted  the  responsi- 
bility, and  declared  that  no  reason  existed  ;  that  the  place  was  provis- 
ioned and  impregnable,  and  that  the  responsibility  rested  alone  with 
the  officer  in  command,  who  was  now  a  prisoner  with  his  whole  force. 

This  hardly  satisfied  the  public  clamor ;  and  so  ill-omened  a  com- 
mencement augured  badly  for  the  success  of  the  campaign  for  posi- 
tion, in  which  both  armies  were  now  manoeuvring.  The  real  details 
of  these  preliminary  movements  are  scarcely  clear  to  this  day.  General 
Bragg's  friends  declare  that  he  forced  Rosecrans  to  the  position  ;  his 
enemies,  that  Rosecrans  first  out-generaled  him  and  then  laid  himself 
open  to  destruction,  while  Bragg  took  no  advantage  of  the  situation. 

However  this  may  be,  we  know  that  on  the  morning  of  the  ipth 
September,  '63,  the  battle  of  Chickamauga  was  commenced  by  the 
enemy  in  a  series  of  obstinate  division  engagements,  rather  than  in 
a  general  battle ;  Bragg's  object  being  to  gain  the  Chattanooga  road 
in  the  enemy's  rear,  and  his  to  prevent  it.  The  fighting  was  heavy, 
stubborn  and  fierce,  and  its  brunt  was  borne  by  Walker,  Hood  and 
Cleburne.  Night  fell  on  an  undecided  field,  where  neither  had  ad- 
vantage ;  and  the  enemy  perhaps  had  suffered  more  heavily  than  we. 

All  that  night  he  worked  hard  to  strengthen  his  position ;  and  our 
attack — which  was  to  have  commenced  just  at  dawn — was  delayed 
from  some  misapprehension  of  orders.  At  length  Breckinridge  and 


322  Four  Years  in  Rebel  Capitals. 

Cleburne  opened  the  fight,  and  then  it  raged  with  desperate,  bloody 
obstinacy,  until  late  afternoon.  At  that  time  the  Confederate  right 
had  been  repulsed;  but  Longstreet's  left  had  driven  the  enemy  be- 
fore it.  Then  the  whole  southern  line  reformed ;  moving  with  steady, 
resistless  sweep  upon  the  confident  enemy.  He  fought  obstinately — 
wavered — rallied — then  broke  again  and  fled  toward  Chattanooga. 
The  rout  was  complete  and  the  enemy  so  demoralized  that  Longstreet 
— feeling  that  he  could  be  crushed  while  panic-struck — ordered 
Wheeler  to  intercept  his  flight.  It  was  stated  that  Longstreet's  order 
was  countermanded  by  General  Bragg ;  but — whatever  the  reason — 
there  was  no  pursuit ! 

The  fruits  of  the  hard-won  victory  were  8,000  prisoners,  50  pieces 
of  artillery,  near  20,000  muskets — plus  a  loss  of  life  barren  of  results. 
For,  instead  of  crushing  the  enemy  and  completely  relieving  the  state 
and  the  Georgia  frontier,  the  failure  to  press  Rosecrans  at  the  moment 
left  him  free  communication  with  his  rear  and  full  time  to  recuperate. 
Instead  of  pressing  on,  General  Bragg  took  position  on  Missionary 
Ridge ;  and  criticism  of  the  hour  declared  that  he  thus  invested  the 
Federals  in  the  town,  which — by  a  rapid  advance — might  already  have 
been  his,  without  a  fight. 

It  is  neither  the  intent,  nor  within  the  scope  of  these  papers — even 
did  their  author  possess  the  ability  for  it — to  enter  into  detailed  criti- 
cism of  military  events ;  far  less  to  reopen  those  acrimonious  partisan, 
ships,  so  bootless  at  the  time  and  worse  than  useless  now.  But, 
to  comprehend  the  state  of  public  feeling  at  the  South,  it  is  essential 
to  have  the  plain  data,  upon  which  it  was  based;  and  to  have  plainly 
stated  the  causes  to  which  popular  opinion  ascribed  certain  results. 

After  Chickamauga,  there  was  very  general — and  seemingly  not 
causeless — discontent.  The  eternal  policy  of  massing  great  armies, 
at  any  sacrifice;  fighting  terrible  battles;  and  then  failing  to  close  the 
grasp  upon  their  fruits — apparently  already  in  hand — had  worn  public 
patience  so  threadbare,  that  it  refused  to  regard  Chickamauga  as 
anything  more  than  another  of  those  aimless  killings,  which  had 
•so  often  drenched  the  West,  to  no  avail. 

Strong  and  open  expression  was  m«ade  of  the  popular  wish  for 
<General  Bragg's  removal;  but  Mr.  Davis  refused — as  ever — to  hear 
the  people's  voice,  in  a  matter  of  policy.  He  retained  General 
Bragg,  and  the  people  held  him  responsible  for  what  they  claimed 
was  the  result — Lookout  Mountain ! 


Four  Years  in  Rebel  Capitals.  323 

Fas  est  ab  hostc  doceri.  Public  clamor  at  the  North  declared  that 
loss  of  command  should  reward  Rosecrans  for  loss  of  the  battle; 
and,  in  mid-October,  he  was  superseded  by  General  Grant. 

Like  all  popular  heroes  of  the  war,  Grant  had  become  noted, 
rather  through  hard-hitting  than  strategic  combination.  His  zenith 
was  mounted  on  the  capture  of  Vicksburg ;  a  project  which  northern 
generals  denounced  as  bad  soldiership  and  possible  of  success,  only 
through  an  enemy's  weakness.  At  this  time,  he  was  certainly  not 
in  high  estimation  of  his  own  army,  because  of  dogged  disregard  of 
loss  in  useless  assaults;  and  it  will  be  recalled  that  General  McCler- 
nand  was  court-martialed  for  his  declaration  that  he  "could  not  be 
expected  to  furnish  brains  for  the  whole  army ! "  The  estimate  ot 
Grant's  compeers  is  not  refuted  by  any  evidence  in  the  War  Depart- 
ment that,  from  Shiloh  to  Appomattox,  he  ever  made  one  combina- 
tion stamped  by  mark  of  any  soldiership,  higher  than  courage  and 
bull-dog  tenacity.  Even  scouting  the  generally-accepted  idea,  in  the 
army  of  Vicksburg  and  later  in  that  of  Chattanooga — that  McPher- 
son  provided  plans  and  details  of  his  campaigns;  and  dismissing 
McClernand's  costly  taunt  as  mere  epigram — this  was  the  accepted 
estimate  of  General  Grant's  tactical  power. 

But  he  inaugurated  his  command  at  Chattanooga  with  boldness 
and  vigor.  He  concentrated  25,000  troops  in  the  town;  opened  his 
communications ;  and  then — to  prevent  any  possible  movement 
flanking  him  out  of  them — boldly  took  the  initiative. 

Meantime,  Longstreet  had  been  detached  by  General  Bragg,  for 
that  badly-provided,  badly-digested  and  wholly  ill-starred  expedition 
to  Knoxville;  one  which  seemed  to  prove  that  the  history  of  misfort- 
une was  ever  to  repeat  itself,  in  impracticable  diversions  at  precisely 
the  wrong  time.  For,  even  had  this  corps  not  been  badly  equipped 
and  rationed,  while  almost  wholly  lacking  in  transportation,  it 
certainly  depleted  a  daily-weakening  army,  in  the  face  of  one  already 
double  its  numbers  and  daily  increasing. 

On  November  i8th — spite  of  management  that  forced  him  to  sub- 
sist on  precarious  captures — Longstreet  reached  the  enemy's  advanced 
lines,  at  Knoxville ;  drove  him  into  the  city  and  completely  isolated 
him  from  communication.  Capitulation  was  a  mere  matter  of  time  ; 
but  disastrous  news  from  the  main  army  drove  the  Confederate  to  the 
alternative  of  assault,  or  retreat.  Choosing  the  former,  he  made  it 
with  the  same  desperate  gallantry  displayed  at  Gettysburg,  or  Corinth  ; 


324  Four  Years  in  Rebel  Capitals. 

illustrated  by  brilliant,  but  unavailing,  personal  prowess.  The 
strength  of  the  enemy's  works — and  openness  of  approach,  wiih  wire 
netting  interlaced  among  the  stumps  of  the  new  clearing,  was  toa 
much  for  the  southern  soldiers.  Several  times  they  reached  the 
works,  fighting  hand-to-hand;  but  finally  Longstreet  fell  back,  in 
good  order  and  carrying  his  subsistence.  He  chose  his  own  line  of 
retreat,  too;  and  with  such  good  judgment  as  to  be  within  reach  of 
any  new  combination  of  Bragg — from  whom  he  was  now  cut  off — or, 
failing  that,  to  keep  his  rear  open  through  Virginia,  to  Lee's  army. 

Meantime,  Grant  massed  troops  in  Chattanooga,  sufficient  in  his 
judgment  to  crush  Bragg;  and,  learning  of  the  latter's  detachment 
of  Longstreet's  corps,  determined  to  strike  early  and  hard.  On  the 
25111  he  attacked  with  his  whole  force,  in  two  grand  columns  under 
Thomas,  Sherman  and  Hooker.  The  little  southern  army  of  less  than 
forty  thousand  was  judiciously  posted ;  having  advantage  of  being 
attacked.  The  terrible  shock  of  the  double  attack  was  successfully 
repulsed  on  the  right  by  Hardee,  on  the  left  by  Buckner.  Broken, 
reeling — shattered — he  was  hurled  back,  only  to  form  again  with 
splendid  courage.  Once  more  checked  and  driven  back,  after  des- 
perate fighting  on  both  sides,  the  Federals  made  a  third  advance  with 
steady,  dogged  valor.  Then  constancy  was  rewarded ;  they  broke 
the  Confederate  center ;  swung  it  in  disorder  upon  the  wings ;  and, 
holding  the  ground  so  hotly  won,  had  the  key  to  the  position. 

Still  the  day  was  not  wholly  lost  to  the  South,  had  her  men  not 
given  way  to  causeless  panic.  Left  and  right  followed  center — lost 
all  order  and  fell  back  almost  in  flight.  Then  the  scattered  and  de- 
moralized army  was  saved  from  utter  ruin,  only  by  the  admirable 
manner  in  which  Cleburne  covered  that  rout-like  retreat,  day  after 
day;  finally  beating  back  Thomas' advance  so  heavily  that  pursuit 
was  abandoned. 

Missionary  Ridge  cost  the  South  near  8,000  men  ;  all  the  Chicka- 
mauga  artillery  and  more  ;  and  the  coveted  key-position  to  the  situa- 
tion. But  it  cost,  besides,  what  could  even  less  be  spared ;  some 
slight  abatement  in  the  popular  confidence  in  our  troops,  under  all 
trials  heretofore.  Reasoning  from  their  dislike  to  General  Bragg, 
people  and  press  declared  that  the  men  had  been  badly  handled 
through  the  whole  campaign;  yet — so  inured  were  they  to  the  rag- 
ged boys  fighting  successfully  both  the  enemy  and  our  own  errors — 
there  came  general  bad  augury  from  the  panic  of  Missionary  Ridge, 


Four  Years  in  Rebel  Capitals.  325 

Mr.  Davis  had  visited  Bragg's  army,  after  the  howl  that  went  up 
on  his  failure  to  press  Rosecrans.  On  his  return,  the  President  ap- 
peared satisfied  and  hopeful ;  he  authorized  statement  that  the  delay 
after  Chickamauga  was  simply  strategic ;  and  the  impression  went 
abroad  that  Bragg  and  he  had  affected  combinations  now,  which 
would  leave  Grant  only  the  choice  between  retreat  and  destruction. 

If  these  tactics  meant  the  detaching  of  Longstreet — said  thought- 
ful critics — then  are  combination  and  suicide  convertible  terms ! 

Neither  was  public  feeling  much  cheered  by  the  aspect  of  the  war 
in  Virginia.  Lee  and  Meade  coquetted  for  position,  without  definite 
result;  the  former — weakened  by  Longstreet's  absence — striving  to  slip 
between  Meade  and  Washington;  the  latter  aiming  to  flank  and  mass 
behind  Lee,  on  one  of  the  three  favorite  routes  to  Richmond.  The 
fall  and  winter  wore  away  with  these  desultory  movements ;  produc- 
ing many  a  sharp  skirmish,  but  nothing  more  resultful.  These  offered 
motif  for  display  of  dash  and  military  tact  on  both  sides;  that  at 
Kelly's  Ford,  on  the  Rapidan — where  the  Federals  caught  the  Con- 
federates unprepared — showing  the  hardest  hitting  with  advantage  on 
the  Union  side.  The  compliment  was  exchanged,  by  a  decisive 
southern  success  at  Germania  Ford ;  but  the  resultless  fighting  dis- 
pirited and  demoralized  the  people,  while  it  only  harassed  and  weak- 
ened the  army.  Both  looked  to  the  great  shock  to  come ;  forces  for 
which  were  gathering,  perhaps  unseen  and  unheard,  yet  felt  by  that 
morbid  prescience  which  comes  in  the  supreme  crises  of  life. 

The  trans-Mississippi  was  now  absolutely  cut  off  from  participation 
in  the  action  of  the  eastern  Confederacy;  almost  equally  so  from 
communication  with  it.  Still  that  section  held  its  own,  in  the  warfare 
peculiar  to  her  people  and  their  situation.  Quick  concentrations; 
sharp,  bloody  fights — skirmishes  in  extent,  but  battles  in  exhibition  of 
pluck  and  endurance — were  of  constant  occurrence.  Kirby  Smith 
— become  almost  a  dictator  through  failure  of  communication — 
administered  his  department  with  skill,  judgment  and  moderation. 
Husbanding  his  internal  resources,  he  even  established — in  the  few 
accessible  ports,  defiant  of  blockade — a  system  of  foreign  supply; 
and  "  Kirby  Smithdom" — as  it  came  to  be  called — was,  at  this  time, 
the  best  provisioned  and  prepared  of  the  torn  and  stricken  sections  of 
the  Confederacy. 

Note  has  been  made  of  the  improvement  of  Federal  cavalry ;  and 
of  their  raids,  that  struck  terror  and  dismay  among  the  people. 


326  Four  Years  in  Rebel  Capitals. 

During  the  winter  of  '63-64,  Averill  penetrated  the  heart  of  Vir- 
ginia, scattering  destruction  in  his  path;  and,  though  he  retired 
before  cavalry  sent  to  pursue  him — he  even  shot  his  horses  as  they 
gave  out,  in  the  forced  flight — his  expedition  had  accomplished  its 
object.  It  had  proved  that  no  point  of  harassed  territory  was  safe 
from  Federal  devastation ;  that  the  overtaxed  and  waning  strength  of 
the  South  was  insufficient  to  protect  them  now ! 
i  Gradually — very  gradually — this  blight  of  doubt  and  dissatisfac- 
tion began  to  affect  the  army ;  and — while  it  was  no  longer  possible  to 
fill  their  places  by  new  levies — some  of  the  men  already  at  the  front 
began  to  skulk,  and  even  to  desert. 

Though  still  uncondoned,  the  crime  of  these  was  roughly  urged 
upon  them ;  for  imagination  brought  to  the  ears  of  all,  the  shriek  of 
the  distant  wife,  insulted  by  the  light  of  her  burning  roof  and  turned 
starving  and  half-clothed,  into  the  snowy  midnight!  And  all  the 
more  honor  was  it  to  the  steadfast  that  they  held  out — dogged  but 
willing — to  the  bitter  end;  fighting  as  man  had  not  fought  before 
— not  only  against  their  enemy — not  only  against  their  own  natural 
impulses — but  against  hope,  as  well ! 

For  the  mass  of  that  grand,  tattered  and  worn  army  never  fal- 
tered; and  only  their  enduring  patriotism — backed  as  it  was  by 
selfless  energy  of  their  home  people — availed  to  make  up  for  the  lost 
opportunities  of  the  Government ! 

In  Congress  was  vacillation,  discord,  vacuity;  while  the  people 
were  goaded  to  the  absurd  charge,  that  some  of  its  members  were 
traitors !  But  the  great  diplomat  has  graven  the  truth,  that  an  error 
may  be  worse  than  a  crime;  and  the  errors  of  the  Confederate 
Congress — from  alpha  to  omega — were  born  of  weakness  and  feeble 
grasp  on  the  prompt  occasions  of  a  great  strife,  like  this  which  so 
submerged  their  littleness. 

It  is  in  some  sort  at  the  door  of  Congress  that  the  head  of  the 
government,  harassed  by  overwork,  distracted  by  diverse  trifles — 
each  one  too  vital  to  entrust  to  feeble  subordinates ;  buffeted  by  the 
gathering  surge  without  and  dragged  down  by  the  angry  undertow 
within,  lost  his  influence,  and  with  it  his  power  to  save ! 

The  beginning  of  the  end  had  come  upon  the  South.  Her  stout- 
est and  bravest  hearts  still, 

"Like  muffled  drums,  were  beating 
Funeral  marches  to  the  grave  !" 


Four  Years  in  Rebel  Capitals.  327 


CHAPTER  XXXV. 

THE   UPPER   AND    NETHER   MILLSTONES. 

From  the  earliest  moment  General  Grant  assumed  command  in 
the  West,  the  old  idea  of  bisecting  the  Confederacy  seems  to  have 
monopolized  his  mind.  The  oft-tried  theory  of  "  drilling  the  heart 
of  the  Rebellion  " — by  cutting  through  to  the  Atlantic  seaboard — 
had  never  been  lost  sight  of,  but  in  Grant's  hands  it  was  to  be  given 
practical  power  and  direction. 

To  effect  that  object,  it  was  essential  to  make  North  Georgia  the 
objective  point ;  and  North  Georgia — now  as  ever — offered  a  stub- 
born and  well-nigh  insurmountable  barrier.  But  the  northern  War 
Department  was  now  fully  impressed  with  the  importance  of  crushing 
the  spine  of  the  Confederacy ;  and  the  fact  was  as  clearly  realized  in 
the  North,  as  in  the  South,  that  the  vital  cord  of  Confederate  being 
ran  from  Atlanta  to  Richmond !  Therefore,  every  facility  of  men 
and  material  was  furnished  the  commander,  who  at  that  moment 
stood  out — in  reflected  lights  from  Vicksburg  and  Missionary  Ridge 
— as  the  military  oracle  of  the  North ;  and  he  was  urged  to  press  this 
design  of  the  campaign  to  a  vigorous  and  speedy  issue. 

During  the  winter  of  1863-64,  General  Grant  incubated  his  grand 
scheme,  and  with  the  month  of  February  brought  forth  a  quadruple 
brood  of  ridiculous  mice. 

His  plan — in  itself  a  good  and  sound  one — was  to  secure  a  perma- 
nent base  nearer  than  the  Mississippi.  To  accomplish  this  he  must 
first  secure  Mobile,  as  a  water  base,  and  connect  that  with  some  de- 
fensible point  inland.  At  the  same  time  that  this  attempt  was  made 
— and  while  the  troops  guarding  the  passway  into  Georgia  might  be 
diverted — Thomas,  commanding  the  Chattanooga  lines,  was  to  ad- 
vance against  that  point. 

The  plan  was  undoubtedly  sound,  but  the  general's  want  of  bal- 
ance caused  him  to  overweight  it,  until  its  own  ponderousness  was  its 
destruction.  On  the  ist  of  February,  Sherman,  with  a  splendidly-ap- 
pointed force  of  35,000  infantry,  and  corresponding  cavalry  and  ar- 
tillery, marched  out  of  Vicksburg;  to  penetrate  to  Mobile,  or  some 


328  Four  Years  in  Rebel  Capitals. 

other  point  more  accessible,  on  the  line  of  the  proposed  new  base. 
Simultaneously  a  heavy  force  approached  the  city  from  New  Orleans ; 
Smith  and  Grierson,  with  a  strong  body  of  cavalry,  penetrated  North- 
ern Mississippi ;  and  Thomas  made  his  demonstration  referred  to. 

Any  candid  critic  will  see  that  four  converging  columns,  to  be  ef- 
fective, should  never  have  operated  so  far  away  from  their  point  of 
convergence,  and  so  far  separated  from  each  other.  The  enterprise 
was  gigantic ;  but  its  awkwardness  equaled  its  strength,  and  its  own 
weight  broke  its  back. 

Sherman,  harassed  by  cavalry  and  skirmishers — advanced  in  solid 
column;  while  Polk,  with  his  merely  nominal  force,  was  unable  to 
meet  him.  But  the  latter  fell  back  in  good  order ;  secured  his  sup- 
plies, and  so  retarded  his  stronger  adversary,  that  he  saved  all  the 
rolling-stock  of  the  railroads.  When  he  evacuated  Meridian,  that 
lately  busy  railroad  center  was  left  a  worthless  prize  to  the  captor. 

Meantime  Forrest  had  harassed  the  cavalry  force  of  Smith  and 
Grierson,  with  not  one-fourth  their  numbers;  badly  provided  and 
badly  mounted.  Yet  he  managed  to  inflict  heavy  loss  and  retard  the 
enemy's  march;  but  finally — unable  to  wait  the  junction  of  S.  D. 
Lee,  to  give  the  battle  he  felt  essential — Forrest,  on  the  zoth  February, 
faced  the  Federal  squadrons.  Confident  of  an  easy  victory  over  the 
ragged  handful  of  dismounted  skirmishers,  the  picked  cavalry  dashed 
gaily  on.  Charge  after  charge  was  received  only  to  be  broken — and 
Forrest  was  soon  in  full  pursuit  of  the  whipped  and  demoralized  col- 
umns. Only  once  they  turned,  were  heavily  repulsed,  and  then  con- 
tinued their  way  to  Memphis. 

This  check  of  his  co-operating  column  and  the  utter  fruitlessness 
of  his  own  march,  induced  a  sudden  change  of  Sherman's  intent. 
He  fell  rapidly  back  to  Vicksburg ;  his  army  perhaps  more  worn, 
broken  and  demoralized  by  the  desultory  attentions  of  ours,  than  it 
would  have  been  by  a  regular  defeat. 

Meantime  the  New  Orleans-Pensacola  expedition  had  danced  on 
and  off  Mobile  without  result.  Thomas  had  been  so  heavily  repulsed 
on  the  25th,  that  he  hastily  withdrew  to  his  lines  at  Chickamauga — 
and  the  great  campaign  of  General  Grant  had  resulted  in  as  insig- 
nificant a  fizz  as  any  costly  piece  of  fireworks  the  war  produced. 

On  the  contrary,  history  will  give  just  meed  to  Forrest,  Lee  and 
Polk  for  their  efficient  use  of  the  handfuls  of  ill-provided  men,  with 
whom  alone  they  could  oppose  separate  and  organized  armies.  They 


Fou?   Years  in  Rebel  Capitals.  329 

saved  Alabama  and  Georgia — and  so,  for  the  time,  saved  the  Con- 
federacy. There  could  be  no  doubt  that  the  sole  safety  of  the  invad- 
ing columns  was  their  numerical  weakness.  General  Grant's  practice 
of  a  perfectly  sound  theory  was  clearly  a  gross  blunder ;  and  had 
Polk  been  in  command  of  two  divisions  more — had  Lee  been  able  to 
swoop  where  he  only  hovered — or  had  Forrest's  ragged  boys  been 
only  doubled  in  number — the  story  told  in  Vicksburg  would  have 
been  even  less  flattering  to  the  strategic  ability  of  the  commander. 

As  it  was,  he  had  simply  made  a  bad  failure,  and  given  the  South 
two  months'  respite  from  the  crushing  pressure  he  was  yet  to  apply. 
For  the  pet  scheme  of  the  North  was  but  foiled — not  ruined ;  and 
her  whole  power  sang  but  the  one  refrain — Delenda  est  Atlanta  ! 

And  those  two  months  could  not  be  utilized  to  much  effect  by  the 
South.  Worn  in  resources,  supplies — in  everything  but  patient  en- 
durance, she  still  came  forth  from  the  dark  doubts  the  winter  had 
raised,  hopeful,  if  not  confident;  calm,  if  conscious  of  the  porten- 
tous clouds  lowering  upon  her  horizon. 

Meanwhile,  Grant,  elevated  to  a  lieutenant-generalcy,  had  been 
transferred  to  the  Potomac  frontier;  and  men,  money,  supplies — 
without  stint  or  limit — had  been  placed  at  his  disposal. 

On  the  ist  February,  Mr.  Lincoln  had  called  for  500,000  men; 
and  on  the  i4th  March  for  200,000  more  ! 

General  Grant,  himself,  testified  to  the  absolute  control  given  him, 
in  a  letter  to  Mr.  Lincoln,  under  date  of  ist  May,  '64 — from  Cul- 
peper  C.  H.,  which  concludes :  "I  have  been  astonished  at  the  read- 
iness with  which  everything  asked  for  has  been  granted  without  any 
explanation  being  asked.  Should  my  success  be  less  than  I  desire 
and  expect,  the  least  I  can  say  is,  that  the  fault  is  not  with  you." 

With  these  unlimited  resources,  he  was  given  almost  unlimited 
power ;  and  the  jubilant  North  crowed  as  loudly  as  it  had  before 
Manassas,  the  Seven  Days,  or  Fredericksburg. 

In  Richmond  all  was  quiet.  The  Government  had  done  all  it 
could,  and  the  people  had  responded  with  a  generous  unanimity 
that  ignored  all  points  of  variance  between  it  and  them.  All  the 
supplies  that  could  be  collected  and  forwarded,  under  the  very  im- 
perfect systems,  were  sent  to  the  armies ;  all  the  arms  that  could  be 
made,  altered  or  repaired,  were  got  ready  ;  and  every  man  not  abso- 
lutely needed  elsewhere — with  the  rare  exceptions  of  influence  and 
-favoritism  openly  defying  the  law — was  already  at  the  front. 


330  Four   Years  in  Rebel  Capitals. 

And  seeing  that  all  was  done  as  well  as  might  be,  the  Capital 
waited — not  with  the  buoyant  hopefulness  of  the  past — but  with 
patient  and  purposeful  resolve. 

And  the  ceaseless  clang  of  preparation,  cut  by  the  ceaseless  yell 
of  anticipated  triumph,  still  echoed  over  the  Potomac — ever  nearer 
and  ever  louder.  Then,  by  way  of  interlude,  on  the  28th  March, 
came  the  notorious  Dahlgren  raid.  Though  Kilpatrick  was  demor- 
alized and  driven  back  by  the  reserves  in  the  gunless  works;  though 
Custar's  men  retired  before  the  furloughed  artillerists  and  home 
guards ;  and  though  Dahlgren's  picked  cavalry  were  whipped  in  the 
open  field  by  one-fourth  their  number  of  Richmond  clerks  and  arti- 
sans ! — boys  and  old  men  who  had  never  before  been  under  fire — 
still  the  object  of  that  raid  remains  a  blot  even  upon  the  page  of 
this  uncivilized  warfare.  It  were  useless  to  enter  into  details  of  facts 
so  well  and  clearly  proved.  That  the  orders  of  Dahlgren's  men 
were  to  release  the  prisoners,  burn,  destroy  and  murder,  the  papers 
found  on  his  dead  body  showed  in  plainest  terms. 

No  wonder,  then,  that  many  in  Richmond  drew  comfort  from 
soothing  belief  in  special  Providence,  when  three  trained  columns 
of  picked  cavalry  were  turned  back  in  disgraceful  flight,  by  a  handful 
of  invalids,  old  men  and  boys ! 

The  feeling  in  Richmond  against  the  raiders  was  bitter  and  uni- 
versal. Little  vindictive,  in  general,  the  people  clamored  that  arson 
and  murder — as  set  forth  in  Dahlgren's  orders — merited  more  serious 
punishment  than  temporary  detention  and  highflown  denunciation. 
The  action  of  the  Government  in  refusing  summary  vengeance  on 
the  cavalrymen  captured,  was  indubitably  just  and  proper.  What- 
ever their  object,  and  whatever  their  orders,  they  were  captured  in 
arms  and  were  but  prisoners  of  war ;  and,  besides,  they  had  not 
really  intended  more  than  dozens  of  other  raiders  had  actually  accom- 
plished on  a  smaller  scale. 

But  the  people  would  not  see  this.  They  murmured  loudly  against 
the  weakness  of  not  making  these  men  an  example.  And  more  than 
one  of  the  papers  used  this  as  the  handle  for  violent  abuse  of  the 
Government  and  of  its  chief. 

At  last  all  preparations  were  complete  ;  and  the  northern  army — as 
perfect  in  equipment,  drill  and  discipline  as  if  it  had  never  been  de- 
feated—came down  to  the  Rapidan. 

Grant  divided  his  army  into  three  corps,  urder  Hancock,  Warren 


Four  Years  in  Rebel  Capitals.  331 

and  Sedgwick ;  and  on  the  5th  May,  his  advance  crossed  the  river, 
only  to  find  Lee  quietly  seated  in  his  path.  Then  commenced  that 
series  of  battles,  unparalleled  for  bloody  sacrifice  of  men  and  obsti- 
nacy of  leader — a  series  of  battles  that  should  have  written  General 
Grant  the  poorest  strategist  who  had  yet  inscribed  his  name  on  the 
long  roll  of  reverses.  And  yet,  by  a  strange  fatality,  they  resulted  in 
making  him  a  hero  to  the  unthinsing  masses  of  his  countrymen. 

Lee's  right  rested  on  the  Orange  road;  and  an  attempt,  after  the 
crossing,  to  turn  it,  was  obstinately  repulsed  during  the  entire  day, 
by  Heth  and  Wilcox.  During  the  night  Hancock's  corps  crossed  the 
river,  and  next  morning  received  a  fierce  assault  along  his  whole  line. 
The  fighting  was  fierce  and  obstinate  on  both  sides ;  beating  back 
the  right  and  left  of  Hancock's  line,  while  sharply  repulsed  on  the 
center  (Warren's).  Still  his  loss  was  far  heavier  than  ours,  and  the 
result  of  the  battles  of  the  Wilderness  was  to  put  some  23,000  of 
Grant's  men  hors  de  combat;  to  check  him  and  to  force  a  change  of 
plan  at  the  very  threshold  of  his  "open  door  to  Richmond."  For 
next  day  (yth  May)  he  moved  toward  Fredericksburg  railroad,  in  a 
blind  groping  to  flank  Lee. 

It  is  curious  to  note  the  different  feeling  in  Washington  and  Rich- 
mond on  receipt  of  the  news.  In  the  North — where  the  actual  truth 
did  not  reach — there  was  wild  exultation.  The  battles  of  the  Wilder- 
ness were  accounted  a  great  victory ;  Lee  was  demoralized  and  would 
be  swept  from  the  path  of  the  conquering  hero ;  Grant  had  at  last 
really  found  the  "open  door!"  In  Richmond  there  was  a  calm  and 
thankful  feeling  that  the  first  clinch  of  the  deadly  tug  had  resulted  in 
advantage.  Waning  confidence  in  the  valor  of  men,  and  discretion  of 
the  general,  was  strengthened,  and  a  somewhat  hopeful  spirit  began 
to  be  infused  into  the  people.  Still  they  felt  there  would  be  a  dead- 
lier strain  this  time  than  ever  before,  and  that  the  fresh  and  increas- 
ing thousands  of  the  North  could  be  met  but  by  a  steadily  dimin- 
ishing few — dauntless,  tireless  and  true — but  still  how  weak  !  Yet 
there  was  no  give  to  the  southern  spirit,  and — as  ever  in  times  of 
deadliest  strain  and  peril — it  seemed  to  rise  more  buoyant  from  the 
pressure. 

Next  came  the  news  of  those  fearful  fights  at  Spottsylvania,  on 
the  8th  and  pth — in  which  the  enemy  lost  three  to  our  one — preceding 
the  great  battle  of  the  i2th  May.  By  a  rapid  and  combined  attack 
the  enemy  broke  Lee's  line,  captured  a  salient  with  Generals  Ed  John- 


Four  Years  in  Rebel  Capitals. 

son  and  George  H.  Stewart  and  part  of  their  commands,  and  threat- 
ened, for  the  time,  to  cut  his  army  in  two.  But  Longstreet  and 
Hill  sent  in  division  after  division  from  the  right  and  left,  and  the 
fight  became  general  and  desperate  along  the  broken  salient.  The 
Yankees  fought  with  obstinacy  and  furious  pluck.  Charge  after 
charge  was  broken  and  hurled  back.  On  they  came  again — ever  to 
the  shambles!  Night  fell  on  a  field  piled  thick  with  bodies  of  the 
attacking  force ;  in  front  of  the  broken  salient  was  a  perfect  charnel- 
house  ! 

By  his  own  confession,  Grant  drove  into  the  jaws  of  death  at 
Spottsylvania  over  27,000  men!  But  his  object  was,  for  the  second 
time,  utterly  frustrated ;  and  again  he  turned  to  the  left — still  dogged 
and  obstinate — still  seeking  to  flank  Lee. 

On  the  i4th,  Grant  was  again  repulsed  so  sharply  that  his  advance 
withdrew;  and  then  the  "greatest  strategist  since  Napoleon"  struck 
out  still  for  his  cherished  left;  and,  leaving  "  the  open  door,"  passed 
down  the  Valley  of  the  Rappahannock. 

Lee's  calm  sagacity  foresaw  the  enemy's  course,  and  on  the  23d 
Grant  met  him  face  to  face,  in  a  strong  position  near  the  North  Anna. 
Blundering  upon  Lee's  lines,  throwing  his  men  blindly  against  works 
that  were  proved  invincible,  he  was  heavily  repulsed  in  two  attacks — 
with  aggregate  loss  amounting  to  a  bloody  battle.  Failing  in  the 
second  attack  (on  the  25th)  Grant  swung  off — still  to  the  left — and 
crossing  the  Pamunkey  two  days  later,  took  up  strong  position  near 
Cold  Harbor  on  the  last  day  of  May. 

Lee  also  moved  down  to  face  Grant,  throwing  his  works  up  on  a 
slight  curve  extending  from  Atlee's,  on  the  Central  Railroad,  across  the 
old  Cold  Harbor  field — averaging  some  nine  miles  from  Richmond. 
Our  general  was  satisfied  with  the  results  of  the  campaign  thus  far ; 
the  army  was  buoyant  and  confident,  and  the  people  were  more  reliant 
than  they  had  been  since  Grant  had  crossed  the  Rapidan.  They  felt 
that  the  nearness  of  his  army  to  Richmond  in  no  sense  argued  its 
entrance  into  her  coveted  defenses;  and  memories  of  Seven  Pines, 
and  of  that  other  Cold  Harbor,  arose  to  comfort  them. 

In  the  North,  great  was  the  jubilee.  It  was  asserted  that  Grant 
could  now  crush  Lee  and  capture  his  stronghold  at  a  single  blow  ; 
that  the  present  position  was  only  the  result  of  his  splendid  stiategy 
and  matchless  daring  ;  and  the  vapid  boast,  "  I  will  fight  it  out  on  this 
line  if  it  takes  all  summer" — actually  uttered  while  he  was  blindly 


Four  Years  in  Rebel  Capitals.  333 

groping  his  way,  by  the  left,  to  the  Pamunkey! — was  swallowed 
whole  by  the  credulous  masses  of  the  North.  They  actually  believed 
that  Grant's  position  was  one  of  choice,  not  of  necessity;  and  that 
Lee's  movement  to  cover  Richmond  from  his  erratic  advance — 
though  it  ever  presented  an  unbroken  front  to  him,  and  frequently 
drove  him  back  with  heavy  loss — was  still  a  retreat ! 

Both  sides  can  look  now  calmly  and  critically  at  this  campaign — 
seemingly  without  a  fixed  plan,  and  really  so  hideously  costly  in 
blood.  When  Grant  crossed  the  Rapidan,  he  could  have  had  no 
other  intention  than  to  sweep  Lee  from  his  front;  and  either  by  a 
crushing  victory,  or  a  forced  retreat,  drive  him  toward  Richmond. 
Failing  signally  at  the  Wilderness,  he  abandoned  this  original  plan  and 
took  up  the  Fredericksburg  line.  Here  again  the  disastrous  days  of. 
Spottsylvania  foiled  him  completely;  and  he  struck  for  the  Tappahan- 
nock  and  Fort  Royal  line.  Lee's  emphatic  repulse  of  his  movement 
on  the  North  Anna  again  sent  Grant  across  the  Pamunkey;  and  into 
the  very  tracks  of  McCldlan  two  years  before! 

But  there  was  one  vast  difference.  McClellan  had  reached  this 
base  with  no  loss.  Grant,  with  all  McClellan's  experience  to  teach 
him,  had  not  reached  this  point  at  a  cost  of  less  than  70,000  men  \ 

Had  he  embarked  his  troops  in  transports  and  sailed  up  the  river, 
Grant  might  have  landed  his  army  a<  ,the  White  House  in  twenty- 
four  hours ;  and  that  without  the  firing  ot  a  shot.  But  he  had  chosen  a 
route  that  was  to  prove  him  not  only  the  greatest  strategist  of  the  age, 
but  the  most  successful  as  well.  The  difference  of  the  two  was  sim- 
ply this:  he  took  twenty-six  days  instead  of  one;  he  fought  nine 
bloody  engagements  instead  of  none  ;  he  made  four  separate  changes 
in  his  digested  plan  of  advance;  and  he  lost  70,000  men  to  gain  a 
position  a  condemned  general  had  occupied  two  years  before  without 
a  skirmish  ! 

But  the  people  of  the  North  did  not  see  this.  They  were  only  al- 
lowed partial  reports  of  losses  and  changes  of  plan  ;  they  were  given 
exaggerated  statements  of  the  damage  done  to  Lee  and  of  his  dire 
strait ;  and  the  fact  of  Grant's  proximity  to  the  Rebel  Capital  was  made 
the  signal  for  undue  and  premature  rejoicing.  He  was  already  univer- 
sally declared  the  captor  of  Richmond,  by  a  people  willing  to  accept  a 
fact  with  no  thought  of  its  cost ;  to  accept  a  result  for  the  causes 
that  produced  it. 

But  Grant  was  now  in  a  position  when  he  could  not  afford  to  await 


334  Four  Years  in  Rebel  Capitals. 

the  slow  course  of  siege  operations.  He  could  not  allow  time  for  the 
hubbub  at  the  North  to  die  away  and  reflection  to  take  its  place. 
Blood  to  him  was  no  thicker  than  water;  and  he  must  vindicate  the 
boasts  of  his  blind  admirers — cost  thousands  of  lives  though  it  might. 
Once  more  he  marshaled  his  re-enforced  ranks,  only  to  hurl  them  into 
the  jaws  of  death.  For  though  worn  away  by  the  fearful  friction  of 
numbers — melted  slowly  in  the  fiery  furnace  of  battle — the  little  Con- 
federate force  sat  behind  its  works,  grim,  defiant — dangerous  as 
ever ! 

Could  Grant  crush  out  that  handful  by  the  pure  weight  of  his 
fresh  thousands — could  he  literally  hurl  enough  flesh  and  blood  against 
it  to  sweep  it  before  him — then  the  key  of  every  road  to  Richmond 
was  in  his  hands!  So,  on  the  morning  of  the  3d  of  June,  Hancock's 
corps  rushed  to  the  assault. 

Impetuous  and  fierce,  the  charge  broke  Breckinridge's  line.  Fresh 
men  poured  in  and,  for  a  moment,  the  works  were  in  the  enemy's 
hands.  But  it  was  only  for  a  moment.  They  rallied,  relief  came — 
the  conflict  was  fierce  and  close — but  it  was  short.  When  the  smoke 
rose,  Hancock's  line  was  broken  and  retreating.  Again  and  again 
he  rallied  it  splendidly,  only  to  be  hurled  back  each  time  with  deadlier 
slaughter.  On  the  other  points  Warren  and  Burnside  had  been 
driven  back  with  terrible  loss  ;  and  along  the  whole  southern  line  the 
death-dealing  volley  into  the  retreating  ranks  rang  the  joyous  notes  of 
victory.  Grant  had  played  the  great  stake  of  his  campaign  and 
lost  it! 

He  had  lost  it  completely,  and  in  an  incredibly  short  time.  Near 
30,000  men  told  the  horrid  story  of  that  ferocious  hurling  of  flesh 
and  blood  against  earthworks.  Near  one-fifth  of  his  whole  force  had 
paid  for  his  last  great  blunder,  while  the  Confederate  loss  was  less 
than  one-tenth  his  own  ! 

Even  McClellan's  line  had  failed  the  sledge-hammer  strategist,  and 
nothing  was  left  but  to  transfer  his  army  to  the  south  side  of  the 
James.  Lingering  with  dogged  pertinacity  on  his  slow  retreat — turn- 
ing at  every  road  leading  to  the  prize  he  yearned  for,  only  to  be 
beaten  back — Grant  finally  crossed  the  river  with  his  whole  force  on 
the  1 3th  of  June. 

The  great  campaign  was  over.  It  had  been  utterly  foiled  at  every 
point;  had  been  four  times  turned  into  a  new  channel  only  to  be 


Four  Years  in  Rebel  Capitals.  335 

more  signally  broken ;  and  had  ended  in  a  bloody  and  decisive  defeat 
that  left  Grant  no  alternative  but  to  give  up  his  entire  plan  and  try  a 
new  one  on  a  totally  different  line.  For  the  southern  arms  it  had 
been  one  unbroken  success  from  the  Rapidan  to  Cold  Harbor ;  for 
though  sometimes  badly  hurt,  the  Confederates  had  never  once  been 
driven  from  an  important  position ;  had  never  once  failed  to  turn  the 
enemy  from  his  chosen  line  of  advance — and  had  disabled  at  the  least 
calculation  120,000  of  his  men  at  the  cost  of  less  than  17,000  of  their 
own  ! 

Such  was  the  southern  view,  at  the  moment,  of  this  campaign  of 
invasion ;  as  unparalleled  in  the  history  of  war,  as  was  that  of  Stone- 
wall Jackson  in  the  Valley.  Such  is  the  view  of  southern  thinkers, 
to-day;  and  it  is  backed  by  the  clearest  judgment  and  calmest  criti- 
cism of  the  North. 

That  success  was  made  the  test  of  merit ;  that  attrition  at  last  wore 
away  unre-enforced  resistance ;  that  highest  honors  in  life,  and  national 
sorrow  in  death,  were  rewards  of  a  man — truly  great  in  many  regards, 
if  justly  measured;  all  these  are  no  proof  that  General  Grant  was 
either  a  strategist,  or  a  thinker  ;  no  denial  that  his  Rapidan  campaign 
— equally  in  its  planning  and  its  carrying  out — was  a  bald  and  need- 
lessly-bloody failure ! 

And,  realizing  this  at  the  supreme  moment,  can  it  be  wondered 
that  the  people  of  Richmond,  as  well  as  the  victorious  little  army, 
grew  hopeful  once  more  ?  Is  it  strange  that — mingled  with  thanks- 
givings for  deliverance,  unremitting  care  of  the  precious  wounded, 
and  sorrow  for  the  gallant  dead  of  many  a  Virginia  home — there 
rose  a  solemn  joyousness  over  the  result,  that  crowned  the  toil,  the 
travail  and  the  loss? 

And  so  the  South,  unrefreshed  but  steadfast,  girded  her  loins  for 
the  new  wrestle  with  the  foe,  now  felt  to  be  implacable ! 


336  Four  Years  in  Rebel  Capitals. 


CHAPTER  XXXVI. 

"THE  LAND  OF  DARKNESS  AND  THE  SHADOW  OF  DEATH." 

It  is  essential  to  a  clear  understanding  of  the  events,  directly  pre- 
ceding the  fall  of  the  Confederacy,  to  pause  here  and  glance  at  the 
means  with  which  that  result  was  so  long  delayed,  but  at  last  so  fully 
accomplished. 

From  official  northern  sources,  we  learn  that  General  Grant 
crossed  the  Rapidan  with  three  corps,  averaging  over  47,000  men. 
Therefore,  he  must  have  fought  the  battles  of  the  Wilderness  with 
at  least  140,000  men.  At  that  time  the  total  strength  of  General 
Lee's  morning  report  did  not  show  46,000  men  for  duty.  Between 
the  Wilderness  and  Spottsylvania,  Grant  was  re-enforced  to  the  ex- 
tent of  near  48,000  picked  men ;  and  again  at  Cold  Harbor  with  near 
45,000  more.  Northern  figures  admit  an  aggregate  of  97,000  re-en- 
forcement between  the  Rapidan  and  the  James  !  In  that  time,  Lee, 
by  the  junction  of  Breckinridge  and  all  the  fragments  of  brigades  he 
could  collect,  received  less  than  16,000  re-enforcement;  and  even  the 
junction  with  Beauregard  scarcely  swelled  his  total  additions  over 
20,000. 

Grant's  army,  too,  was  composed  of  the  picked  veterans  of  the 
North — for  his  Government  had  accepted  large  numbers  of  hundred- 
day  men  for  local  and  garrison  duty,  that  all  the  seasoned  troops 
might  be  sent  him.  Yet  with  an  aggregate  force  of  234,000  men,  op- 
posed to  a  total  of  less  than  63,000,  General  Grant  failed  signally 
in  the  plan,  or  plans  of  his  campaign — losing  in  twenty-six  days,  and 
nine  heavy  fights  and  several  skirmishes,  seven  men  for  one  of  General 
Lee's! 

Can  any  candid  thinker  analyze  these  results  and  then  believe 
Grant  a  strategist — a  great  soldier — anything  but  a  pertinacious 
fighter?  Can  one  realize  that  anything  but  most  obstinate  bungling 
could  have  swung  such  an  army  round  in  a  complete  circle — at  a  loss 
of  over  one-half  of  its  numbers — to  a  point  it  could  have  reached  in 


Four  Years  in  Rebel  Capitals.  337 

twenty-four  hours,  without  any  loss  whatever  ?  For  the  soldiers  of 
the  North,  in  this  disastrous  series  of  blunders,  fought  with  constancy 
and  courage.  Beaten  day  after  day  by  unfailing  troops  in  strong  works, 
they  ever  came  again  straight  at  those  impregnable  positions,  against 
which  obstinate  stolidity,  or  blind  rage  for  blood,  drove  them  to  the 
slaughter.  Hancock's  men  especially  seemed  to  catch  inspiration  from 
their  chivalric  leader.  Broken  and  beaten  at  the  Wilderness — deci- 
mated at  Spottsylvania,  they  still  were  first  in  the  deadly  hail  of 
Cold  Harbor — breaking  our  line  and  holding  it  for  a  moment.  Sedg- 
wick  and  Warren,  too — though  the  victim  of  unjust  prejudice,  if  not 
of  conspiracy — managed  their  corps  with  signal  ability,  in  those  cease- 
less killings  into  which  Grant's  "  strategy"  sent  them. 

Nor  was  the  immense  superiority  of  numbers  already  shown,  all. 
For  this  main  advance — like  every  other  of  General  Grant's — had  co- 
operating columns  all  around  it.  Add  to  the  men  under  his  immedi- 
ate command,  those  of  the  adjunct  forces  under  his  inspiration — 
Butler,  35,000,  Hunter,  28,000  and  Sigel,  10,000 — and  there  foots  up 
a  grand  total  of  307,000  men! 

We  may,  therefore,  consider  that  General  Lee,  in  the  summer  cam- 
paign of  1864,  kept  at  bay  and  nullified  the  attack  of  307,000  men 
with  scarcely  one-fifth  their  number ;  not  exceeding  63,000  !* 

While  Grant  was  engaged  in  his  pertinacious  failures  to  flank  Lee, 
General  Sheridan — whose  fame  as  a  cavalry  leader  was  already  in  the 
mouths  of  men  in  such  pet  names  as  "Little  Phil"  and  "  Cavalry 
Sheridan  " — made  a  raid  of  considerable  proportions  toward  Rich- 
mond. Flanking  Lee  upon  the  right,  he  proceeded  over  the  North 
and  South  Anna,  damaging  the  railroads  at  Beaver  Dam  and  Ashland 
stations.  Thence  he  moved  toward  Richmond,  but  was  met  at  Yellow 
Tavern  by  General  Stuart  with  a  small  body  of  his  cavalry  and  a 
hastily-collected  force  of  infantry.  A  sharp  engagement  resulted  in 
forcing  the  enemy  off;  when  he  passed  down  the  James  to  Turkey 
Island,  where  he  joined  Butler's  forces. 

*Some  timeafter  the  notes  were  made,  from  which  these  figuresare  condensed,  twoar- 
t ides  on  Grant's  campaign  appeared  in  print — one  in  the  New  York  "  World,"  the  other,  by 
Mr.  Hugh  Pleasants,  in  "  Tlie  /Mild  We  Love  "  magazine.  Writing  from  diametrically  op- 
posite standpoints,  with  data  gathered  from  opposing  sources,  Mr.  Pleasants  and  the 
"  World  "  very  nearly  agree  in  their  figuring' ;  and  it  was  gratifying  to  this  author  to  find 
that  both  corroborated  the  above  estimates  to  within  very  inconsiderable  numbers.  Later 
historical  papers  have  not  materially  changed  them ;  save,  perhaps,  some  southern  claims 
still  further  to  reduce  Lee's  army. 


338  four  Years  in  Rebel  Capitals. 

But  the  fight  had  one  result  far  more  serious  to  the  South — the 
<ieath  of  General  J.  E.  B.  Stuart — the  gallant  and  popular  leader  of 
Confederate  cavalry;  so  ill  to  be  spared  in  those  days  of  watchful 
suspense  to  come,  when  General  Lee  keenly  felt  the  loss  of  "the 
«yes  of  the  army." 

During  the  whole  fight  the  sharp  and  continuous  rattle  of  car- 
bines, broken  by  the  clear  boom  of  field  artillery,  was  distinctly 
heard  in  Richmond ;  and  her  defenseless  women  were  long  uncertain 
what  the  result  would  be.  They  knew  nothing  of  the  force  that  was  at- 
tacking, nor  of  that  which  was  defending  their  homes  ;  every  man  was 
away  save  the  aged  and  maimed — and  the  tortures  of  doubt  and  sus- 
pense were  added  to  the  accustomed  strain  of  watching  the  end  of 
the  fight.  When  the  news  came  there  was  deep  thankfulness ;  but  it 
was  solemn  and  shadowed  from  the  sorrow  that  craped  the  victory. 

Meantime,  General  Sigel  had  threatened  the  Valley  with  a  heavy 
force ;  but,  in  mid-May  he  had  been  met  by  General  Breckinridge 
and  was  defeated  with  such  loss  of  men  and  munitions,  that  he  re- 
treated precipitately  across  the  Shenandoah.  The  co-operation  of 
Sigel  was  virtually  at  an  end. 

But  the  more  important  co-operation  had  been  equally  unsuccess- 
ful. Simultaneously  with  Grant's  passage  of  the  Rapidan,  General 
Butler,  with  an  army  of  35,000  men  and  a  fleet  of  iron-clads, 
double-enders,  gunboats  and  transports  sufficient  for  a  war  with 
England,  sailed  up  the  James.  This  force  was  intended  to  proceed 
•direct  to  Richmond,  or  to  march  into  undefended  Petersburg,  as  the 
case  might  seem  best  to  warrant.  The  land  forces  disembarked  at 
Bermuda  Hundred  and,  after  fortifying  heavily  on  the  line  of  Hew- 
lett's House,  made  serious  demonstrations  direct  on  Drewry's  Bluff. 
Butler  supposed  that,  the  defenses  being  entirely  uncovered  by  the 
drain  of  men  for  Lee's  army,  he  could  carry  them  with  ease.  In  this 
hope  he  relied  much  upon  the  powerful  aid  of  the  fleet ;  but  Admiral 
Lee,  ascending  in  a  double-ender,  lost  his  pioneer-boat,  the  "Com- 
modore Jones  "  and  very  nearly  his  own  flag-ship,  by  a  torpedo,  op- 
posite Signal  Station.  This  stopped  the  advance  of  the  fleet,  as  the 
river  was  supposed  to  be  sown  with  torpedoes. 

Nowise  daunted,  General  Butler — like  the  true  knight  and  chival- 
rous leader  his  entire  career  proves  him  to  be — drew  his  line  closer 
round  the  coveted  stronghold.  But  on  the  i6th  of  May,  Beauregard 
.sallied  out  and  struck  the  hero  of  New  Orleans  so  suddenly  and  so 


Four  Years  in  Rebel  Capitals.  339 

•sharply  that  he  drove  him,  with  heavy  loss  and  utter  demoralization, 
•clear  from  his  advanced  lines  to  Bermuda  Hundied.  Only  the  mis- 
carriage of  a  part  of  the  plan,  entrusted  to  a  subordinate  general, 
saved  Butler's  army  from  complete  destruction. 

As  it  was,  he  there  remained  "bottled  up,"  until  Grant's  peculiar 
strategy  had  swung  him  round  to  Petersburg;  and  then  the  "bottle- 
imp  "  was  released. 

Seeing  himself  thus  foiled  on  every  hand — his  magnificent  plans 
utterly  crushed,  and  his  immense  numbers  unavailing — Grant  struck 
into  new  combinations.  Hunter  had  already  penetrated  into  West 
Virginia  as  far  as  Staunton;  and  hounding  on  his  men  with  the 
savagery  of  the  bloodhound,  was  pushing  on  for  Lynchburg  and 
the  railroad  lines  of  supply  adjacent  to  it.  Grant  at  once  detached 
Sheridan  with  a  heavy  force,  to  operate  against  the  lines  from  Gor- 
donsville  and  Charlottesville. 

Simultaneously  he,  himself,  was  to  strike  a  resistless  blow  at 
Petersburg;  and  thus  with  every  avenue  of  supply  cut  off,  the 
leaguered  Capital  must  soon — from  very  weakness — drop  into  eager 
hands  stretched  out  to  grasp  her. 

On  the  1 6th  and  i;th  June,  there  were  sharp  and  heavily-sup- 
ported attacks  upon  portions  of  the  Confederate  line  before  Peters- 
burg. The  expectation  evidently  was  to  drive  them  in  by  sheer 
weight ;  for  it  was  known  only  that  part  of  Lee's  forces  had  crossed 
the  river,  and  the  line  was  one  of  immense  extent — requiring  three 
times  his  whole  force  to  man  it  effectively. 

But,  as  ever  before,  General  Grant  underrated  his  enemy ;  and,  as 
ever  before,  his  cherished  theory  of  giving  six  lives  for  one  to  gain  his 
point  failed.  Both  attacks  were  heavily  repulsed.  Still  holding  to 
that  theory,  however,  Grant  attacked  the  whole  Confederate  front  at 
dawn  of  the  i8th.  Driven  back  with  heavy  slaughter,  the  men  were 
again  sent  in.  Four  times  that  day  they  rallied  and  came  well  up  to 
the  works ;  and  four  times  they  were  sent  back  reeling  and  bleeding. 
Even  Grant's  obstinacy  could  not  drive  them  again  into  certain  de- 
struction ;  and  the  assault  on  Petersburg  had  failed  utterly,  at  the  cost 
of  14,000  men  for  the  experiment. 

On  that  same  day,  Hunter  was  driven  back  from  an  assault  on 
Lynchburg,  and  sent  in  disgraceful  rout  through  West  Virginia. 

Hampton,  too,  had  done  his  share  as  ever  in  the  long  war.  He 
had  caught  Sheridan  at  Trevellian's  Station,  and  compelled  him  to 


34°  Four  Years  in  Rebel  Capitals. 

retreat  and  entirely  abandon  his  part  of  Grant's  new  programme; 
and  a  little  later  he  came  upon  Kautz  and  Wilson — in  a  railroad  raid 
below  Petersburg — and  defeated  them  disastrously,  capturing  their 
trains,  artillery  and  a  large  proportion  of  their  men. 

Thus,  by  July,  these  rough  and  repeated  lessons  had  taught  even 
General  Grant  that  hammering  with  flesh  and  blood  upon  earthworks 
was  too  costly ;  that  barn-burning  and  railroad-tearing  cavalry  were 
not  effectual  to  reduce  the  city  that  had  so  laughed  to  scorn  his 
brilliant  tactics  of  the  left  flank ! 

A  more  disgusted,  if  not  a  wiser  man,  he  sat  down  and  fortified 
for  a  regular  siege ;  as  fully  convinced  as  ever  that  the  blood  of  the 
soldiers  was  the  seed  of  the  war ;  as  fixed  in  his  theory  that  he  could 
spare  seven  lives  for  one  and  gradually  by  this  fearful  "swapping, 
with  boot,"  reduce  the  capital  he  had  failed  to  win  by  soldierly 
methods  or  skillful  combination. 

And  the  southern  people  felt  that  was  the  test  to  be  applied  to 
them  now.  Bayonet  and  steel,  rapine  and  torch  had  failed ;  but  now 
the  process  of  pulverizing  was  to  come.  "Southern  blood!"  was 
General  Grant's  war-cry — "Southern  blood  by  the  drop,  if  it  take 
rivers  of  ours.  Southern  lives  by  the  score — and  we  can  well  pay 
for  them  with  the  hundred!" 

And,  looking  the  alternative  squarely  in  the  face,  the  southern 
people  for  the  last  time  girded  their  loins  for  the  shock;  feeling 
they  could  do  what  men  might  and  when  they  could  no  longer  do— 
they  could  die ! 

Once  more  the  tide  of  battle  had  rolled  away  from  Richmond; 
but  it  surged  up,  redder  and  rougher,  against  her  sister  city.  And 
staunch  little  Petersburg  braced  herself  to  meet  its  advancing  waves 
— ever  offering  to  them  her  dauntless  breast  and  ever  riding  above 
them,  breathless  but  victorious.  Old  men  with  one  foot  in  the  grave 
— boys  with  one  foot  scarce  out  of  the  cradle,  stood  side  by  side,  with 
the  bronzed  veterans  of  Lee's  hundred  fights.  Women  sat  quiet,  the 
shells  of  Grant's  civilized  warfare  tearing  through  their  houses  and 
through  the  hospitals.  And  fearless  for  themselves,  they  worked 
steadily  on,  nursing  the  wounded  and  the  sick;  giving  from  their 
daily-decreasing  store  with  self-forgetfulness ;  encouraging  the  weak 
by  their  presence  and  their  courage. 

But  not  alone  the  fierce  sounds  immediately  around  them  claimed 
the  attention  of  the  people  of  the  Capital.  From  North  Georgia 


Four   Years  in  Rebel  Capitals.  341 

came  the  hoarse  echo  of  renewed  strife;  and  they  felt,  in  sober 
truth,  more  immediate  anxiety  for  the  result  there  than  at  their  own 
doors.  Inured  to  danger  and  made  familiar  with  its  near  approach, 
the  people  of  Virginia  looked  calmly  forward  to  the  most  fearful 
shock  of  battle,  if  it  was  nothing  more.  They  knew  the  crushing 
force  of  Grant's  numbers,  but  the  danger  was  tangible  and  they  could 
see  a  possible  issue  out  of  it,  through  blood  and  sacrifice.  But  they 
knew  and  felt  that  Atlanta  was  the  back  door  to  Richmond.  Let  the 
enemy  once  enter  that  and  divide  the  spinal  column  of  the  Confed- 
eracy, and  what  hope  was  there !  For  a  brief  space  the  maimed  and 
dying  body  might  writhe  with  final  strength;  the  quivering  arms 
strike  fierce,  spasmodic  blows ;  but  no  nourishment  could  come — the 
end  must  be  death — and  death  from  inanition ! 

The  people  knew  and  felt  this  fully.  They  were  perfectly  aware 
that,  should  Atlanta  fall  and  the  enemy  penetrate  to  our  rear  lines  of 
communication,  the  cause  was  lost.  We  might  make  a  fierce  resist- 
ance for  the  moment ;  but  without  supplies,  all  organized  plan  must 
cease.  And  the  wildest  hope  indulged  in  that  event  was  the  possi- 
bility of  a  detached  and  guerrilla  warfare  that  would  make  the  coun- 
try untenable. 

Therefore,  every  eye  was  turned  toward  Dalton,  where  Johnston's 
little  army  now  was — every  ear  was  strained  to  catch  the  first  echo  of 
the  thunder  about  to  roll  so  ominously  among  the  Georgia  mountains. 

Upon  General  Grant's  elevation  to  the  chief  command,  General  W. 
T.  Sherman  had  been  left  in  charge  in  the  West.  Not  discouraged 
by  the  failure  of  Grant's  quadruple  advance,  two  months  before, 
Sherman  divided  his  army — like  that  operating  on  the  Rapidan — 
into  three  corps.  Thomas,  leading  the  center,  or  direct  advance ; 
Schofield,  the  left  on  the  North-east,  and  McPherson  the  right  on 
the  South-west — he  moved  upon  Dalton,  almost  simultaneously  with 
Grant's  passage  of  the  Rapidan.  And  like  Grant,  he  essayed  a 
flank  movement;  but  with  far  different  result. 

There  was  another  point  of  similarity — the  great  disparity  of  num- 
bers. Sherman  could  not  have  had  in  all,  far  short  of  80,000  men  ; 
while  Johnston's  greatest  exertions  could  not  collect  at  Dalton  an  ef- 
fective force  of  35,000.  Many  of  these,  too,  were  local  troops  and 
raw  levies,  green  and  undisciplined  ;  while  Sherman's  forces  were  the 
flower  of  the  western  army. 

Such  were  the  points  of  similarity ;  but  there  was  one  great  differ- 


342  Four  Years  in  Rebel  Capitals. 

ence  known  to  the  Confederate  leaders  and  people.  Sherman  would 
use  every  advantage  of  strategy  and  combination,  rather  than  attempt 
the  sledge-hammer  style  of  attack  developed  by  Grant.  And  there 
was  more  to  be  dreaded  from  his  quiet  and  cautious  approach — with 
its  accompanying  care  for  human  life,  that  would  preserve  his  army 
.  — than  from  any  direct  assault,  however  vigorous.  This  was  proved 
at  the  very  outset ;  for  his  advance  on  Dalton  was  a  piece  of  military 
tact  that — unlike  Grant's  at  the  Wilderness — was  founded  upon  sound 
calculation.  McPherson  was  thrown  so  far  round  to  the  South-west 
as  seriously  to  threaten  Johnston's  communications ;  and  by  the  8th 
of  June,  the  latter  was  forced  to  evacuate  Dalton  and  retire  down 
Resaca  Valley  toward  the  line  of  the  Etowah  river. 

This  movement  was  accomplished  with  quiet  and  perfect  ease ;. 
keeping  ever  a  steady  front  to  the  enemy,  pressing  rapidly  on. 

Feeling  that  the  fate  of  the  whole  cause  was  now  vested  in  the 
little  army  left  him  to  defend  the  great  key — Atlanta — Johnston  was 
great  enough  to  resist  the  opportunities  for  glorious  battle ;  to  give 
up,  without  a  struggle — which  could  only  entail  resultless  waste  of 
men — the  rich  tracts  so  valuable  to  us ;  to  offer  himself  to  the  con- 
demnation of  unthinking  censure — all  to  insure  the  safety  of  that 
vital  organ  of  Confederate  life. 

On  the  1 4th  June,  the  enemy  pressed  heavily  against  temporary 
works  in  Resaca  Valley  and  was  twice  repulsed,  with  heavy  loss. 
Then  Johnston  turned  upon  him  and  gained  a  decisive  advantage — 
driving  him  two  miles.  On  the  two  succeeding  days,  his  attempts 
amounted  to  scarcely  more  than  skirmishes ;  and  on  the  third  our 
troops  resumed,  unmolested,  their  retreat  along  the  line  of  the  Etowah. 
By  the  end  of  the  month  Johnston  had  taken  up  a  strong  position, 
with  his  center  resting  upon  Kenesaw  Mountain;  while  the  enemy 
had  thrown  up  works,  at  some  points  nearer  even  than  those  at 
Petersburg. 

At  dawn  on  the  zyth,  Sherman  attacked  along  the  whole  line, 
directing  his  main  strength  to  Kenesaw  Mountain.  He  was  repulsed 
decisively  on  both  flanks  and  with  especial  slaughter  in  the  center ; 
losing  over  3, 500  men.  Next  day  Cleburne's  division  defeated  McPher- 
son's  corps  in  a  severe  fight,  inflicting  even  heavier  loss  than  it  had 
sustained  at  Kenesaw  Mountain.  But  these  fights — while  retarding 
the  enemy's  advance  and  causing  him  a  loss  three  times  our  own — 
were  all  nullified  by  Sherman's  effective  use  of  that  flanking  process,. 


Four  Years  in  Rebel  Capitals.  343, 

so  strangely  misused  by  his  rival  in  Virginia.  Those  movements  were 
but  those  of  pawns  upon  the  board;  while  the  serious  check  ta 
Johnston  at  Dalton — the  flank  movement  upon  his  right — was  repeated 
here.  On  the  4th  of  July  he  was  flanked  out  of  his  mountain  fast- 
nesses and  was  falling  back  upon  Atlanta. 

There  is  no  stronger  proof  of  the  hold  General  Johnston  had  upon 
the  masses  of  the  people  and  of  their  respectful  confidence  in  his  great 
ability,  than  their  reception  of  this  news.  They  had  watched  his 
long  retreat  almost  without  a  fight ;  had  seen  the  enemy  penetrate 
almost  to  the  heart  of  Georgia,  occupying  rich  tracts  of  our  most  pro- 
ductive land,  just  ready  for  the  harvest;  and  finally  had  heard  him 
thundering  at  the  very  gates  of  Atlanta — to  enter  which  they  felt  were 
death  to  us.  And  yet  the  people  never  murmured  at  their  general, 
nor  at  the  army  he  commanded.  There  was  an  unshaken  conviction 
that  he  was  doing  his  best ;  that  his  best  was  the  best.  But  the  Gov- 
ernment had  not  forgotten  nor  forgiven  General  Johnston;  and  for 
wholly  inexplicable  reasons,  he  was  summarily  transferred  from  his 
command  and  replaced  by  General  Hood,  on  the  i8th  of  July. 

People  could  not  see  the  ground  for  Johnston's  removal;  for 
he  had  followed  the  very  same  line  that  had  earned  General  Lee 
the  wildest  enthusiasm  of  the  people,  even  while  it  gave  him  almost 
supreme  control  of  the  military  power  of  the  Confederacy.  Lee  had 
fallen  back  to  his  proper  base — so  had  Johnston.  The  former  had 
faced  far  greater  odds  and  had  inflicted  far  heavier  punishment  upon 
the  enemy;  but  the  latter  had  contended  against  strategic  ability  rather 
than  blind  force — against  human  sagacity  rather  than  brute  courage. 
And  if  Johnston  had  inflicted  less  damage,  his  wise  abstinence  from 
battle  had  saved  many  lives,  invaluable  now ;  and  in  the  end  he  had 
placed  his  army  in  almost  impregnable  works  around  the  great  prize 
he  was  to  guard.  Foreseeing  the  result  of  his  opponent's  strategy,  he- 
had  nullified  it  by  seeking  the  position  into  which  he,  would  finally 
have  been  forced. 

So  far,  the  Virginia  and  the  Georgia  campaigns  had  been  markedly 
similar  in  conduct  and  result.  Both  armies,  driven  by  overwhelm- 
ing numbers,  had  drawn  their  lines  around  their  last  strongholds;; 
and  there  kept  their  enemy  at  bay.  And  had  General  Johnston  been 
allowed  to  reap  the  reward  of  his  clear  foresight  and  patient  absti- 
nence— who  can  tell  but  the  festering  Lazarus  might  yet  have  risen 
whole,  and  defied  the  vast  wealth  of  aggression  hurled  against  it? 


344  Four  Years  in  Rebel  Capitals. 

The  universal  and  outspoken  disgust  of  the  people  at  the  removal 
of  Johnston,  was  in  no  sense  referable  to  their  objection  to  his  suc- 
cessor. General  Hood  had  forced  i)|eir  highest  admiration,  and 
bought  their  warmest  wishes,  with  his  brilliant  courageous  and  his  free- 
ly-offered blood.  They  knew  him  to  be  dauntless,  chivalrous  and  be- 
loved by  his  men ;  and,  even  if  untried  in  a  great  command,  they 
-were  willing  to  give  him  the  benefit  of  the  doubt.  His  first  move- 
ments, too— seemingly  so  brilliant  and  dashing,  compared  to  the 
more  steady  but  resultful  ones  of  Johnston — produced  a  thrill  of  pride 
and  hope  with  all  the  people,  save  the  thoughtful  few,  who  felt  we 
could  not  afford  now  to  buy  glory  and  victory  unless  it  tended  to  the 
one  result — safety. 

On  the  2oth  July  Hood  assumed  the  offensive.  He  struck  the 
enemy's  right  heavily  and  with  success;  repeating  the  blow  upon  his 
extreme  left,  on  the  22d.  The  advantage  on  both  days  was  with  the 
Confederates ;  they  drove  the  enemy  from  his  works,  captured  several 
thousand  prisoners,  and  killed  and  wounded  over  3,000  men.  But 
there  was  no  solid  gain  in  these  fights ;  and,  the  enemy  shifting  his 
line  after  them  further  to  the  east,  there  was  another  furious  battle  on 
the  28th  day  of  July. 

In  this  Hood  was  less  successful,  losing  heavily  and  gaining  little 
or  no  ground.  The  results  of  the  fights  at  Atlanta  were  briefly  these : 
Hood  had  broken  the  long  and  sagacious  defensive  course ;  the  peo- 
ple were  perhaps  inspirited  at  the  cost  of  over  4,000  invaluable  men; 
and  the  enemy  was  taught  that  we  were  too  weak  to  drive  him  from 
liis  line,  or  even  to  make  any  solid  impression  on  him. 

Feeling  this — and  secure  in  a  line  of  communication  with  his  base 
— Sherman  sat  doggedly  and  grimly  down  before  Atlanta.  He  felt  he 
could  wait. 

But  the  end  came,  before  even  the  Federal  leader  could  have  ex- 
pected. After  the  fights  at  Atlanta,  Hood  feared  the  cutting  of  his 
communications.  He  was  fearful,  lest  the  system  that  had  forced 
Johnston  from  Dalton  and  Kenesaw  Mountain  might  be  made  avail- 
able against  him  here;  and  the  very  means  he  had  adopted  to  prevent 
it  precipitated  the  disaster.  He  divided  his  forces  into  two  distinct 
armies — sending  one,  under  Lieutenant-General  Hardee,  to  Jones- 
boro,  twenty-two  miles  away ! 

Sherman,  aware  of  the  movement — which  had  in  fact  resulted 
from  his  threatening  of  Hood's  flank — forced  his  superior  numbers 


Four  Years  in  Rebel  Capitals.  345 

wedge-like  into  the  gap,  and  effectually  separated  the  wings.  Then 
he  struck  in  detail.  Hardee,  at  Jonesboro,  failed  to  make  any  im- 
pression upon  him  on  the  ist  of  September,  while  Hood — weakened 
and  unable  to  check  his  movements  on  the  left — was  forced,  on  the 
3ist  August,  to  decide  upon  the  evacuation  of  Atlanta! 

This  fatal  movement  was  accomplished  on  the  evening  of  the  ist 
of  September,  without  further  loss ;  but  the  key  to  the  Confederate 
cause — the  sole  barrier  to  the  onward  sweep  of  Sherman  to  the  ocean 
— was  in  his  hands  at  last ! 

There  may  have  been  causes  operating  on  General  Hood  that  were 
not  known  to  the  people ;  for  the  results  and  their  motive  was  shrouded 
in  silence.  His  dispatch  announcing  the  fall  of  the  most  important 
point  was  very  brief;  stating  in  a  few  lines  that  Hardee,  having  failed 
against  the  enemy  at  Jonesboro,  while  he  could  not  oppose  his  flank 
movement  at  Atlanta,  he  had  given  up  that  city.  Even  later — when 
General  Hood  published  his  report  of  the  Atlanta  campaign — he  dif- 
fers in  essential  points  from  General  Johnston,  and  neither  his  theories 
nor  their  carrying  out  are  made  comprehensible  to  the  public. 

There  was  a  terrible  shock  to  the  people  of  the  South  in  the  fall  of 
Atlanta.  They  knew  its  importance  so  fully  that  its  loss  was  the 
more  keenly  felt.  There  came  sudden  revulsion  from  the  hope  that 
had  begun  once  again  to  throb  in  the  public  pulse.  The  loud  murmurs 
that  had  arisen  after  other  defeats  were  wanting  now;  but  a  sullen  and 
increasing  gloom  seemed  to  settle  over  the  majority  of  the  people.  It 
was  as  though  they  were  stunned  by  the  violence  of  the  shock  and  felt 
already  its  paralyzing  influence.  It  was  in  vain  that  a  ten  days'  truce 
was  granted  by  the  victorious  enemy,  during  which  Mr.  Davis  visited 
the  army  and  spoke  brave  words  of  future  victory.  The  people  had 
now  lost  all  faith  in  Mr.  Davis  and  his  methods ;  and  they  sullenly 
refused  to  accept  the  happy  auguries  of  victory  he  drew  from  crushing 
defeat.  Even  the  army  itself — while  still  doggedly  determined  to 
strike  its  hardest  to  the  bitter  end — began  to  feel  that  it  was  fighting 
against  hope. 

And  in  that  ten  days'  truce  there  was- little  chance  for  those  worn 
and  wasted  battalions  to  recuperate.  There  were  no  fresh  men  to 
send  to  their  aid;  few,  indeed,  were  the  supplies  that  could  be 
forwarded  them.  But  they  looked  into  the  darkness  ahead  steadily 
and  calmly ;  they  might  not  see  their  path  in  it,  but  they  were  ready 
to  march  without  the  path.  And  even  as  they  watched  and  waited, 


346  Four   Years  in  Rebel  Capitals. 

so  at  Petersburg  and  Richmond  a  small  but  sleepless  David  watched 
the  grim  Goliath,  stretched  in  its  huge  bulk  before  their  gates.  Cease- 
lessly the  trains  flashed  back  and  forth  over  the  iron  link  between 
those  two  cities — now  Siamese-twinned  with  a  vital  bond  of  endur- 
ance and  endeavor.  Petersburg,  sitting  defiant  in  her  circle  of  fire, 
worked  grimly,  ceaselessly — with  what  hope  she  might !  and  Rich- 
mond worked  for  her,  feeling  that  every  drop  of  blood  she  lost  was 
from  her  own  veins  as  well. 

And  so  for  many  weary  months  the  deadly  strain  went  on ;  and  the 
twin  cities — stretched  upon  the  rack — bore  the  torture  as  their  past 
training  had  taught  the  world  they  must — nobly  and  well ! 


Four  Years  in  Rebel  Capitals.  347 


CHAPTER  XXXVII. 

DIES  IRJE — DIES   ILLA. 

It  is  nowise  within  the  scope  of  these  sketches  to  detail  that 
memorable  siege  of  Petersburg,  lasting  nearly  one  year.  It  were 
needless  to  relate  here,  how — for  more  than  ten  months — that  long 
southern  line  of  defense,  constantly  threatened  and  almost  as  con- 
stantly assailed,  was  held.  Men  know  now  that  it  was  not  by 
strength,  but  by  sleepless  watch  and  dogged  endurance,  that  less  than 
30,000  worn  men — so  dotted  along  works  extending  near  forty 
miles,  that  at  points  there  was  one  soldier  to  every  rod  of  earth- 
work— held  their  own,  even  against  the  earlier  onsets.  Men  now 
realize  why  the  Federal  general — failing  in  every  separate  effort  to 
buy  a  key-position,  even  at  the  cost  of  six  lives  for  one — was  forced 
to  sit  down  sullenly  and  wait  the  slow,  but  sure,  process  of  attrition. 

These  matters  are  now  stamped  upon  the  minds  of  readers,  on 
both  sides  of  the  Potomac.  In  the  North  they  had  voluminous  re- 
ports of  every  detail ;  and  the  cessation  of  interest  elsewhere  gave 
full  leisure  to  study  them.  In  the  South,  30,000  earnest  historians 
from  the  trenches  were  sought,  each  one  by  eager  crowds ;  and  the 
story  of  every  cannonade  and  skirmish  and  charge,  told  in  honest  but 
homely  words,  was  burned  into  the  memory  of  intent  listeners. 

Slowly  that  summer  wore  itself  away.  Steadily  that  bloody  his- 
tory traced  itself  out ;  punctuated,  now  by  many  a  fierce  and  sudden 
rush  of  crowding  Federals — ever  beaten  back  with  frightful  loss; 
again  by  rare  sorties  from  our  line,  when  our  leaders  saw  the  chance 
to  strike  some  telling  blow. 

But  spite  of  care  in  those  leaders  and  superhuman  endurance  in 
the  men,  the  southern  troops  were  worn  with  watching  and  steadily 
melting  away.  Close,  ceaseless  fighting  thinned  their  ranks ;  there 
were  no  more  men — even  the  youngest  of  the  land,  or  its  first  borns 
— to  take  the  places  of  the  lost  veterans.  General  Grant's  words 
were  strictly  true — ''the  South  had  robbed  the  cradle  and  the 


348  Four  Years  in  Rebel  Capitals. 

grave !  "  The  boasted  army  of  the  North,  led  by  her  latest-chosen 
champion  and  strategist,  was  kept  at  bay  by  a  skeleton  of  veterans, 
barely  held  together  by  the  worn-out  sinews  and  undeveloped  muscle 
of  old  age  and  infancy. 

Then  the  fall  of  Atlanta  came ! 

The  people  were  not  to  be  deceived  by  platitudes  about  "  strategic 
purposes,"  or  empty  nothings  about  "a  campaign  to  nullify  it." 
They  had  gotten  now  beyond  that ;  and  saw  the  terrible  blow  that 
had  been  dealt  them  in  all  its  naked  strength.  They  felt  that  an 
army  that  had  failed  to  check  Sherman,  when  it  was  behind  strong 
works,  would  hardly  do  so  in  the  open  field.  They  felt  that  he  could 
now  at  his  leisure  bore  into  the  coveted  heart  of  our  territory  ;  that 
the  long-attempted  ''bisection  of  the  rebellion"  was  accomplished; 
that  further  aid,  or  supplies,  from  that  section  was  impossible.  And 
then  the  people  of  Richmond  turned  once  more  with  unfailing  pride, 
but  lessening  hope,  toward  the  decreasing  bands  that  still  held  their 
own  gates  secure.  But  they  saw  how  the  deadly  strain  was  telling 
upon  these ;  that  the  end  was  near. 

But  even  now  there  was  no  weak  yielding — no  despairing  cry 
among  the  southern  people.  They  looked  at  the  coming  end  steadily 
and  unflinchingly;  and  now,  for  the  first  time,  they  began  to  specu- 
late upon  the  possible  loss  of  their  beloved  Capital.  It  was  rumored 
in  Richmond  that  General  Lee  had  told  the  President  that  the  lines 
were  longer  than  he  could  hold ;  that  the  sole  hope  was  to  evacuate 
the  town  and  collect  the  armies  at  some  interior  point  for  a  final 
struggle  tnat  might  yet  sever  the  bonds,  ever  closing  tighter  and 
tighter  upon  us.  And  the  rumor  added  that  Mr.  Davis  peremptorily 
and  definitely  rejected  this  counsel ;  declaring  that  he  would  hold  the 
city,  at  any  cost  and  any  risk. 

For  once — whatever  cause  they  had  to  credit  these  reports — the 
popular  voice  was  louder  on  the  side  of  the  unpopular  President  than 
on  that  of  the  idolized  general.  The  tremendous  efforts  to  capture 
the  Capital;  the  superhuman  exertions  made  to  defend  it  in  the  last 
four  years,  had  made  Richmond  the  cause!  People  argued  that  if 
Richmond  was  lost,  the  State  of  Virginia  was  lost,  too  ;  that  there  was 
no  point  in  North  Carolina  where  the  army  could  make  a  stand,  for 
even  that  "interior  line"  then  became  a  frontier.  Beyond  this  the 
people  felt  the  moral  effect  of  such  a  step;  and  that  the  army,  as  such, 


Four  Years  in  Rebel  Capitals.  349 

could  never  be  carried  out  of  Virginia.     And  with  the  ceaseless  dis- 
cussion of  this  question,  came  the  first  yearnings  for  peace  propositions. 

To  this  extremity,  the  South  had  been  confident  and  fixed  in  her 
views.  Cheated  of  her  hopes  of  foreign  intervention,  she  had  yet 
believed  her  ability  to  work  out  her  own  oracle ;  through  blood  and 
toil — even  ruin,  perhaps — but  still  to  force  a  peace  at  last.  But  now 
the  popular  voice  was  raised  in  answer  to  the  vague  words  of  peace 
that  found  their  way  over  the  Potomac.  If  there  be  any  desire  in  the 
North  for  cessation  of  this  strife,  said  the  people,  for  God's  sake  let 
us  meet  it  half  way.  Even  the  Congress  seemed  impressed  with  the 
necessity  of  meeting  any  overtures  from  the  North,  before  it  was  too 
late  and  our  dire  strait  should  be  known  there.  But  it  was  already 
too  late;  and  the  resultless  mission  of  Mr.  Stephens  to  Fortress  Mon- 
roe proved  that  the  Washington  Government  now  saw  plainly  that  it 
could  force  upon  us  the  terms  it  made  the  show  of  offering. 

The  failure  of  this  mission,  no  less  than  the  great  mystery  in  which 
the  Government  endeavored  to  wrap  it,  produced  a  decided  gloom 
among  the  thinking  classes;  and  it  reacted  upon  the  army  as  well. 
The  soldiers  now  began  to  lose  hope  for  the  first  time.  They  saw 
they  were  fighting  a  hydra;  for  as  fast  as  they  lopped  off  heads  in 
any  direction,  fresh  ones  sprang  up  in  others.  They  began,  for  the 
first  time,  to  feel  the  contest  unequal ;  and  this  depressing  thought — 
added  to  the  still  greater  privations  following  the  loss  of  Georgia — 
made  desertion  fearfully  common,  and  threatened  to  destroy,  by  that 
cause,  an  army  that  had  withstood  every  device  of  the  enemy. 

And  so  the  fall  wore  into  winter ;  and  the  news  from  General 
Hood's  lines  only  added  to  the  gloom.  After  the  truce  of  ten  days, 
following  the  fall  of  Atlanta,  Hood  had  moved  around  and  gotten  al- 
most in  Sherman's  rear.  For  a  moment  there  was  great  exultation, 
for  it  was  believed  he  would  destroy  the  enemy's  communications  and 
then  attack  him,  or  force  an  attack  on  ground  of  his  own  choos- 
ing. Great  was  the  astonishment  and  great  the  disappointment, 
when  Hood  moved  rapidly  to  Dalton  and  thence  into  Alabama,  leav- 
ing the  whole  country  south  of  Virginia  entirely  open,  defenseless,  and 
at  Sherman's  mercy. 

And,  as  usual,  in  moments  of  general  distress,  Mr.  Davis  was 
blamed  for  the  move.  He  had,  it  was  said,  removed  Joe  Johnston 
at  the  very  moment  his  patient  sagacity  was  to  bear  its  fruits ;  he  had 


Four  Years  in  Rebel  Capitals. 

been  in  Hood's  camp  and  had  of  course  planned  this  campaign — a 
wilder  and  more  disastrous  one  than  the  detachment  of  Longstreet,  for 
Knoxville.  Whosesoever  may  have  been  the  plan,  and  whatever 
may  have  been  its  ultimate  object,  it  failed  utterly  in  diverting  Sher- 
man from  the  swoop  for  which  he  had  so  long  hovered.  For,  while 
the  small  bulwark  of  Georgia  was  removed — and  sent  in  Quixotic 
joust  against  distant  windmills — the  threatening  force,  relieved  from 
all  restraint,  and  fearing  no  want  of  supplies  in  her  fertile  fields, 
pressed  down,  "  Marching  thro'  Georgia." 

Meantime  Hood,  with  no  more  serious  opposition  than  an  occa- 
sional skirmish,  crossed  the  Tennessee  at  Florence,  about  the  middle 
of  November.  The  enemy  fell  back  before  him,  toward  Nashville, 
until  it  seemed  as  if  his  intent  was  to  draw  Hood  further  and  further 
away  from  the  real  point  of  action — Sherman's  advance.  On  the 
3oth  of  November,  however,  Thomas  made  a  stand  at  Franklin  ;  and 
then  resulted  a  terrific  battle,  in  which  the  Confederates  held  the  field, 
with  the  loss  of  one-third  of  the  army.  Six  of  our  generals  lay  amid 
their  gallant  dead  on  that  unhappy  field  ;  seven  more  were'  disabled 
by  wounds,  and  one  was  a  prisoner.  The  enemy's  loss  was  stated  at 
far  less  than  ours ;  and  he  retired  into  Nashville,  to  which  place  our 
army  laid  siege  on  the  ist  of  December. 

Weakened  by  the  long  march  and  more  by  the  terrible  losses  of 
Franklin ;  ill-supplied  and  half-fed,  Hood's  army  was  compelled  to 
rely  upon  the  enemy's  want  of  supplies  driving  him  out.  On  the 
1 5th  of  December  he  attacked  our  whole  line,  so  furiously  as  to  break 
it  at  every  point.  Hood's  defeat  was  complete;  he  lost  his  whole 
artillery — over  fifty  pieces — most  of  his  ordnance  and  many  of  his 
supply  trains.  In  the  dreadful  retreat  that  followed,  General  For- 
rest's vigorous  covering  alone  saved  the  remnant  of  that  devoted 
army;  and  on  the  23d  of  January,  1865 — when  he  had  brought  them 
once  more  into  temporary  safety — General  Hood  issued  a  farewell 
order,  stating  that  he  was  relieved  at  his  own  request. 

Gallant,  frank  and  fearless  even  in  adversity,  he  did  not  shirk  the 
responsibility  of  the  campaign ;  declaring,  that  disastrous  and  bitter 
as  it  had  been,  he  had  believed  it  best. 

So  ended  all  real  resistance  in  the  South  and  West.  The  enemy 
had  gained  the  back  door  to  Richmond,  had  shattered  its  supports 


Four  Years  in  Rebel  Capitals.  351 

and  had  marched  on  to  the  rear  of  those  strongholds  that  had  so  long 
defied  his  power  from  the  sea. 

It  was  but  a  question  of  time,  when  Charleston  and  Savannah 
should  fall ;  and  even  the  most  hopeful  could  see  that  Virginia  was 
the  only  soil  on  which  resistance  still  walked  erect. 

Meanwhile,  the  winter  was  passing  in  Richmond  in  most  singular 
gayety.  Though  the  hostile  lines  were  so  close  that  the  pickets  could 
"chaff"  each  other  without  raising  their  voices,  still  both  had  learned 
that  direct  attacks  in  front  were  not  practicable;  and  such  was  the 
state  of  the  roads  all  around  Petersburg,  that  no  movement  out  of 
works  could  be  attempted.  Therefore  more  active  fighting  had  for 
the  moment  ceased;  numbers  of  young  officers  could  get  to  Rich- 
mond, for  a  few  days  at  a  time;  and  these  came  worn  and  tired 
from  camp  and  famished  for  society  and  gayety  of  some  sort.  And 
the  younger  ladies  of  Richmond — ready  as  they  ever  were  to  aid 
and  comfort  the  soldier  boys  with  needle,  with  bandage,  or  with  lint 
— were  quite  as  ready  now  to  do  all  they  could  in  plans  for  mutual 
pleasure. 

They  only  felt  the  strain  was  for  the  moment  remitted  ;  they  recked 
not  that  it  was  to  come  to-morrow  for  the  final  crush ;  and  they  en- 
joyed to-day  with  all  the  recklessness  of  long  restraint. 

Parties  were  of  nightly  occurrence.  Not  the  brilliant  and  gener- 
ous festivals  of  the  olden  days  of  Richmond,  but  joyous  and  gay 
assemblages  of  a  hundred  young  people,  who  danced  as  though  the 
music  of  shells  had  never  replaced  that  of  the  old  negro  fiddler 
— who  chatted  and  laughed  as  if  there  were  no  to-morrow,  with  its 
certain  skirmish,  and  its  possible  blanket  for  winding-sheet.  For  the 
beaux  at  these  gatherings  were  not  only  the  officers  on  leave  from 
Petersburg  ;  the  lines  drawn  close  to  the  city  furnished  many  an  ac- 
quisition, who  would  willingly  do  ten  miles  in  and  out,  on  horseback 
through  the  slush  and  snow,  for  one  deux  temps  with  "somebody  in 
particular." 

And  many  a  brave  fellow  had  ridden  direct  from  the  ball-room 
into  the  fight.  I  can  well  recall  poor  H.  now,  as  he  looked  when  last 
I  saw  him  in  life.  Ruddy  and  joyous,  with  his  handsome  face  one 
glow  of  pleasure,  he  vaulted  gaily  to  his  saddle  under  the  bright 
moon  at  midnight.  Curbing  his  restive  horse,  and  waving  a  kiss  to 


352  Four  Years  in  Rebel  Capitals. 

the  bright  faces  pressed  against  the  frosty  pane,  his  clear  au  revoirl 
echoed  through  the  silent  street,  and  he  was  off. 

Next  morning  a  country  cart  brought  his  lifeless  body  down  Main 
street,  with  the  small  blue  mark  of  a  bullet  in  the  middle  of  the 
smooth,  clear,  boyish  brow.  Never  leaving  his  saddle,  he  had  ridden 
into  a  picket  fight,  and  a  chance  shot  had  cut  short  the  life  of  so 
much  promise. 

But  it  is  not  meant  that  these  parties  entailed  any  waste  of  those 
supplies,  vital  alike  to  citizen  and  soldier.  They  were  known  as 
"Starvations;"  and  all  refreshments  whatever  were  forbidden,  save 
what  could  be  drawn  from  the  huge  pitcher  of  "Jeems"  River" 
water,  surrounded  with  its  varied  and  many-shaped  drinking  utensils. 
Many  of  these,  even  in  the  houses  of  the  best  provided,  were  of 
common  blown  glass,  with  a  greenish  tinge  that  suggested  a  most 
bilious  condition  of  the  blower.  The  music  was  furnished  by  some  of 
the  ancient  negro  minstrels — so  dear  to  the  juvenile  southern  heart  in 
days  gone  by;  or  more  frequently  by  the  delicate  fingers  of  some 
petted  and  favored  belle.  And  never,  amid  the  blare  of  the  best 
trained  bands,  the  popping  of  champagne,  and  the  clatter  of  forks 
over  pate  de  foies  gras,  was  there  more  genuine  enjoyment  and  more 
courtly  chivalry  to  the  beau  sexe,  than  at  these  primitive  soirees. 

The  "Starvations"  were  not  the  only  amusements.  Amateur 
theatricals  and  tableaux  again  became  the  rage  in  midwinter;  and 
talent  of  no  contemptible  grade  was  displayed  on  many  an  impromptu 
stage.  And  that  especial  pet  horror  of  supersensitive  godliness — 
the  godless  German  cotillion — even  forced  itself  into  the  gayeties  of 
the  winter.  Great  was  the  wrath  of  the  elect  against  all  amusements 
of  the  kind — but  chiefest  among  outrages  was  this  graceless  German. 
But  despite  the  denunciations,  the  ridicule,  and  even  the  active  inter- 
vention of  one  or  two  ministers,  the  young  soldiers  and  their  chosen 
partners  whirled  away  as  though  they  had  never  heard  a  slander  or 
a  sermon. 

I  have  already  endeavored  to  show  how  a  certain  class  in  Rich- 
mond deprecated  gayety  of  all  kinds  two  years  before.  These,  of 
course,  objected  now;  and  another  class  still  was  loud  and  violent 
against  it.  But,  said  the  dancers,  we  do  the  fighting — we  are  the 
ones  who  are  killed — and  if  we  don't  object,  why  in  the  deuce  should 
you?  Cooped  up  in  camp,  with  mud  and  musty  bacon  for  living,  and 


Four  Years  in  Rebel  Capitals.  353 

the  whistling  of  Minies  and  whooing  of  shells  for  episode,  we  long 
for  some  pleasure  when  we  can  get  off.  This  is  the  sole  enjoyment 
we  have,  and  we  go  back  better  men  in  every  way  for  it. 

This  was  rather  unanswerable  argument;  and  the  younger  ladies 
were  all  willing  to  back  it ;  so  malgr'e  long  faces  and  a  seeming  want 
of  the  unities,  the  dancing  went  on. 

We  have  heard  a  great  deal  post-bellum  bathos  about  that  strange 
mixture  of  gay  waltzes,  and  rumble  of  dead-cart  and  ambulance ; 
but  one  must  have  heard  the  sounds  together  before  he  can  judge ; 
and  no  one  who  was  not  in  and  of  that  peculiar,  and  entirely 
abnormal,  state  of  society,  can  understand  either  its  construction,  or 
its  demands. 

But  the  short  spasm  of  gayety,  after  all,  was  only  the  fitful  and 
feverish  symptom  of  the  deadly  weakness  of  the  body  politic.  It 
was  merely  superficial ;  and  under  it  was  a  fixed  and  impenetrable 
gloom.  The  desertions  from  the  army  were  assuming  fearful  propor- 
tions, that  no  legislation  or  executive  rigor  could  diminish;  supplies 
of  bare  food  were  becoming  frightfully  scarce,  and  even  the  wealthiest 
began  to  be  pinched  for  necessaries  of  life ;  and  over  all  brooded  the 
dread  cloud  of  a  speedy  evacuation  of  the  city. 

Every  day  saw  brigades  double-quicking  back  and  forth  througb 
the  suburbs ;  the  continuous  scream  of  steam-whistles  told  of  move- 
ment, here  and  there  ;  and  every  indication  showed  that  the  num- 
bers of  men  were  inadequate  to  man  the  vast  extent  of  the  lines. 
As  the  spring  opened,  this  became  more  and  more  apparent.  There 
was  no  general  attack,  but  a  few  brigades  would  be  thrown  against  some 
ill-defended  work  here;  and  almost  simultaneously  the  undefended 
lines  there  would  have  a  force  hurled  against  them.  It  almost  seemed 
that  the  enemy,  aware  of  our  weakness,  was  determined  to  wear  out 
our  men  by  constant  action,  before  he  struck  his  heavy  blow.  How 
dear  the  wearied,  starving  men  made  these  partial  attacks  cost  him, 
already  his  own  reports  have  told. 

March  came,  and  with  it,  orders  to  remove  all  government  prop- 
erty that  could  possibly  be  spared  from  daily  need.  First  the 
archives  and  papers  went ;  then  the  heavier  stores,  machinery  and 
guns,  and  supplies  not  in  use;  then  the  small  reserve  of  medical  stores 
was  sent  to  Danville,  or  Greensboro.  And,  at  last,  the  already  short 

23 


354  Four  Years  in  Rebel  Capitals. 

supplies  of  commissary  stores  were  lessened  by  removal — and   the 
people  knew  their  Capital  was  at  last  to  be  given  up ! 

The  time  was  not  known — some  said  April,  some  the  first  of 
May;  but  the  families  of  the  President  and  Cabinet  had  followed  the 
stores;  the  female  Department  clerks  had  been  removed  to  Colum- 
bia— and  there  was  no  doubt  of  the  fact.  After  four  years  of  dire 
endeavor  and  unparalleled  endurance,  the  Capital  of  the  South  was 
lost! 

In  their  extremity  the  people  said  little,  but  hope  left  them  utterly. 
In  the  army  or  out,  there  were  few,  indeed — and  no  Virginians — 
but  believed  the  cause  was  lost  when  the  army  marched  away. 

Richmond  was  Virginia — was  the  cause ! 

With  Sherman  already  in  possession  of  Charleston  and  Savannah, 
and  the  army  unable  to  do  aught  but  retreat  sullenly  before  him — 
with  Virginia  gone,  and  the  Confederacy  narrowed  down  to  North 
Carolina,  a  strip  of  Alabama  and  the  trans-Mississippi — what  hope 
was  left? 

After  General  Johnston  had  been  relieved  at  Atlanta,  the  De- 
partment had  managed,  on  one  reason  or  another,  to  shelve  him 
until  now.  The  public  voice  was  loudly  raised  against  the  injustice 
done  the  man  they  admired  most  of  all  the  bright  galaxy  of  the 
South ;  and  even  Congress  woke  from  its  stupor  long  enough  to  de- 
mand for  the  great  soldier  a  place  to  use  his  sword.  This  was  in 
January ;  but  still  the  government  did  not  respond,  and  it  was  not 
until  the  23d  February  that  he  was  restored  to  command.  Then — 
with  the  shattered  remnant  of  his  army,  augmented,  but  not 
strengthened  by  the  fragments  of  flying  garrisons — he  could  only 
fall  back  before  the  victorious  progress  of  that  "Great  March"  he 
might  effectually  have  checked,  on  its  threshold  at  Atlanta. 

Deep  gloom — thick  darkness  that  might  be  felt — settled  upon  the 
whole  people.  Hope  went  out  utterly,  and  despair — mingled  with 
rage  and  anguish  as  the  news  from  the  "Great  March"  came  in — 
took  its  place  in  every  heart.  But  in  every  heart  there  was  bitter 
sorrow,  humiliation — but  no  fear.  As  Richmond  became  more  and 
more  empty,  and  the  time  to  abandon  her  drew  nearer  and  nearer, 
her  people  made  what  provision  they  might  to  meet  the  enemy  they 
had  scorned  so  long.  One  class  and  one  alone,  showed  any  sign  of 


Four  Years  in  Rebel  Capitals.  355 

iear — the  human  vultures  so  long  fattened  on  the  dead  and  dying — 
the  speculators. 

With  every  preparation  long  since  made  for  the  event — with  cel- 
lars and  attics  stored  with  tobacco  and  other  merchandise — with  Con- 
federate blood-money  converted  into  gold — these  Shylocks  now  shiv- 
ered in  anticipation  of  the  coming  greenbacks,  for  abject  dread  of 
the  bluebacks  that  were  to  bring  them.  There  is  one  gleam  of  sat- 
isfaction through  the  gloom  of  the  great  fire — it  partly  purified  the 
city  of  these  vermin  and  the  foul  nests  they  had  made  themselves. 

All  seemed  ready  during  March,  and  the  people  watched  every 
movement,  listened  for  every  sound,  that  might  indicate  actual  evac- 
uation. Each  morning  the  city  rose  from  its  feverish  sleep,  uncer- 
tain whether,  or  not,  the  army  had  withdrawn  in  the  stillness  of  the 
night. 

During  all  this  fitful  suspense  there  was  no  general  fight  along 
the  lines,  and  from  time  to  time  hope  would  flicker  up,  and  for  the 
moment  throw  the  shadows  into  shape  of  a  possible  victory — a  saving 
blow  for  the  storm-racked  ship  of  state,  now  her  decks  had  been  cleared 
for  desperate  action.  Then  it  would  down,  down  again,  lower  than 
before. 

With  the  end  of  March  the  enemy  made  new  combinations.  His 
whole  disjointed  attacks  had  been  against  the  South  Side  road,  the 
main  artery  of  supply  and  retreat.  He  had  ceased  organized  attacks 
on  the  works,  and  sought  only  to  strike  the  communications.  Now, 
Sheridan,  with  a  formidable  force,  was  sent  to  Five  Forks  ;  and  Rich- 
mond heard,  on  the  first  day  of  April,  of  desperate  fighting  between 
him  and  Pickett. 

Next  morning,  the  2d  April,  rose  as  bright  a  Sunday  as  had  shone 
in  all  Richmond  that  spring.  The  churches  were  crowded,  and 
plainly-dressed  women — most  of  them  in  mourning — passed  into  their 
pews  with  pale,  sad  faces,  on  which  grief  and  anxiety  had  both  set 
their  handwriting.  There  were  few  men,  and  most  of  these  came 
in  noisily  upon  crutches,  or  pale  and  worn  with  fever. 

It  was  no  holiday  gathering  of  perfumed  and  bedizened  godliness, 
that  Sunday  in  Richmond.  Earnest  men  and  women  had  come  to 
the  house  of  God,  to  ask  His  protection  and  His  blessing,  yet  a  little 
longer,  for  the  dear  ones  that  very  moment  battling  so  hotly  for  the 
worshipers. 


356  Four   Years  in  Rebel  Capitals. 

In  the  midst  of  a  prayer  at  Dr.  Hoge's  church,  a  courier  entered 
softly,  and  advancing  to  Mr.  Davis,  handed  him  a  telegram.  Noise- 
lessly, and  with  no  show  of  emotion,  Mr.  Davis  left  the  church,  fol- 
lowed by  a  member  of  his  staff.  A  moment  after  another  quietly 
said  a  few  words  to  the  minister ;  and  then  the  quick  apprehensions 
of  the  congregation  were  aroused.  Like  an  electric  shock  they  felt 
the  truth,  even  before  Dr.  Hoge  stopped  the  services  and  informed 
them  that  Richmond  would  be  evacuated  that  night ;  and  counseled 
they  had  best  go  home  and  prepare  to  meet  the  dreadful  to-morrow. 
The  news  spread  like  wildfire.  Grant  had  struck  that  Sunday  morn- 
ing— had  forced  the  lines,  and  General  Lee  was  evacuating  Peters- 
burg ! 

The  day  of  wrath  had  come. 

Hastily  the  few  remaining  necessaries  of  the  several  departments 
were  packed,  and  sent  toward  Danville,  either  by  railroad  or  wagon. 
Ordnance  supplies,  that  could  not  be  moved,  were  rolled  into  the 
canal ;  commissary  stores  were  thrown  open,  and  their  hoarded  con- 
tents distributed  to  the  eager  crowds.  And  strange  crowds  they 
were.  Fragile,  delicate  women  staggered  under  the  heavy  loads  they 
bore  to  suffering  children  at  home ;  the  pale  wife  clutched  hungrily 
at  the  huge  ham,  or  the  bag  of  coffee,  for  the  wounded  hero,  pining 
at  home  for  such  a  delicacy.  Children  were  there  with  outstretched 
hands,  crying  for  what  they  could  carry;  and  hoary-headed  men 
tugged  wearily  at  the  barrels  of  pork,  flour,  or  sugar  they  strove  to 
roll  before  their  weak  arms. 

Later  in  the  evening,  as  the  excitement  increased,  fierce  crowds 
of  skulking  men,  and  course,  half-drunken  women,  gathered  before 
the  stores.  Half-starved  and  desperate,  they  swore  and  fought  among 
themselves  over  the  spoils  they  seized.  Orders  had  been  given  to- 
destroy  the  whisky  at  once ;  but,  either  from  lingering  tenderness,  or 
from  the  hurry  of  the  movement,  they  were  only  partially  obeyed. 

Now  the  uncontrolled  swarms  of  men  and  women — especially  the 
wharf  rats  at  Rockett's  where  the  navy  storehouses  were — seized  the 
liquor  and  became  more  and  more  maddened  by  it.  In  some  places 
where  the  barrels  were  stove,  the  whisky  ran  in  the  gutters  ankle 
deep;  and  here  half-drunken  women,  and  children  even,  fought, 
to  dip  up  the  coveted  fluid  in  tin  pans,  buckets,  or  any  vessel  avail- 
able. 


Four  Years  in  Rebel  Capitals.  357 

Meanwhile,  preparation  went  on  rapidly;  the  President  and  Cab- 
inet left  for  the  South — General  Breckinridge,  Secretary  of  War, 
alone  remaining  to  direct  the  details  of  evacuation.  Everything  was 
ready  for  the  few  remaining  troops  to  withdraw,  leaving  the  works  on 
the  northern  side  of  the  James  unoccupied,  before  daylight.  Then 
the  officer  with  the  burning  party  went  his  rounds,  putting  the  torch 
to  every  armory,  machine-shop  and  storehouse  belonging  to  the  Gov- 
ernment. By  midnight  these  had  begun  to  burn  briskly;  one  lurid 
glare  shot  upward  to  the  sky,  from  the  river ;  then  another  and  an- 
other. The  gunboats  had  been  fired,  and  their  crews,  passing  to  the 
shore  equipped  for  camp,  followed  the  line  of  the  retreating  army  up 
the  river  bank. 

Who,  that  was  in  it,  will  ever  forget  that  bitter  night  ?  Husbands 
hastily  arranged  what  plans  they  might,  for  the  safety  of  families  they 
were  forced  to  leave  behind ;  women  crept  out  into  the  midnight,  to 
conceal  the  little  jewelry,  money  or  silver  left  them,  fearing  general 
sack  of  the  city  and  treachery  of  even  the  most  trusted  negroes. 
For  none  knew  but  that  a  brutal  and  drunken  mob  might  be  let  loose 
upon  the  hated,  long-coveted  Capital,  in  their  power  at  last !  None 
knew  but  that  the  black  rule  of  Butler  might  be  re-enacted — excelled; 
and  women — who  had  sat  calm  and  restful,  while  the  battle  of  Seven 
Pines  and  the  roar  of  Seven  Days,  and  the  later  Cold  Harbor,  shook 
their  windows — now  broke  down  under  that  dreadful  parting  with  the 
last  defenders  of  their  hearths !  Death  and  flame  they  had  never 
blanched  before ;  but  the  nameless  terrors  of  passing  under  the 
Yankee  yoke  vanquished  them  now. 

Pitiful  were  leave-takings  of  fathers  with  their  children,  husbands 
with  new-made  brides,  lovers  with  those  who  clung  to  them  in 
even  greater  helplessness.  Ties  welded  in  moments  of  danger  and 
doubt — in  moments  of  pleasure,  precious  from  their  rarity — all  must 
be  severed  now,  for  none  knew  how  long — perhaps  forever!  For 
man,  nor  woman,  might  pierce  the  black  veil  before  the  future. 
Only  the  vague  oppression  was  there,  that  all  was  over  at  last;  that 
days  to  come  might  mean  protracted,  bloody  mountain  warfare — cap- 
tivity, death,  separation  eternal ! 

So  men  went  forth  into  the  black  midnight,  to  what  fate  they 
dreamed  not,  leaving  those  loved  beyond  self  to  what  fate  they  dared 
not  dream ! 


358  Four  Years  in  Rebel  Capitals. 

But  even  in  that  supreme  hour — true  to  her  nature  and  true  to  her 
past — the  woman  of  Richmond  thought  of  her  hero-soldier ;  not  of 
herself.  The  last  crust  in  the  home  was  thrust  into  his  reluctant 
hand;  the  last  bottle  of  rare  old  wine  slyly  slipped  into  his  haver- 
sack. Every  man  in  gray  was  a  brother-in-heart  to  every  woman  that 
night ! 

Long  after  midnight,  I  rode  by  a  well-remembered  porch,  where 
all  that  was  brightest  and  gayest  of  Richmond's  youth  had  passed 
many  happy  hours.  There  was  Styles  Staple ;  his  joyous  face  clouded 
now,  his  glib  tongue  mute — with  two  weeping  girls  clinging  to  his 
hands.  Solemnly  he  bent  down;  pressed  his  lips  to  each  pure 
forehead,  in  a  kiss  that  was  a  sacrament — threw  himself  into  their 
mother's  arms,  as  she  had  been  his  own  as  well ;  then,  with  a  wrench, 
broke  away  and  hurled  himself  into  saddle.  There  was  a  black 
frown  on  Staple's  face,  as  he  rode  up  by  me ;  and  I  heard  a  sound — 
part  sob ;  more  heart-deep  oath — tear  out  of  his  throat.  If  the 
Recording  Angel  caught  it,  too,  I  dare  swear  there  was  no  record 
against  him  for  it,  when — thirty  hours  later — he  answered  to  his  name 
before  the  Great  Roll-Call!  For  no  more  knightly  lips  will  ever 
press  those  pure  brows;  no  more  loyal  soul 'went  to  its  rest,  out  of 
that  dire  retreat. 

Two  hours  after  midnight,  all  was  ready;  and  all  was  still,  save  the 
muffled  roll  of  distant  wagons  and,  here  and  there,  the  sharp  call  of 
a  bugle.  Now  and  again,  the  bright  glare,  above  the  smoke  round 
the  whole  horizon,  would  pale  before  a  vivid,  dazzling  flash  ;  followed 
by  swaying  tremble  of  the  earth  and  a  roar,  hoarsely  dull ;  and  one 
more  ship  of  the  little  navy  was  a  thing  of  the  past. 

Later  still  came  to  the  steady  tramp  of  soldiers — to  be  heard  for 
the  last  time  in  those  streets,  though  its  echo  may  sound  down  all 
time !  The  last  scene  of  the  somber  drama  had  begun ;  and  the 
skeleton  battery-supports  filed  by  like  specters,  now  in  the  gloom, 
now  in  the  glare  of  one  of  the  hundred  fires.  No  sound  but  the 
muffled  word  of  command  came  from  their  ranks;  every  head  was 
bowed  and  over  many  a  cheek — tanned  by  the  blaze  of  the  fight  and 
furrowed  by  winter  night-watches — the  first  tear  it  had  ever  known 
rolled  noiselessly,  to  drop  in  the  beloved  dust  they  were  shaking  from' 
their  feet. 


Four  Years  in  Rebel  Capitals.  359 

Next  came  gaunt  men,  guiding  half-starved  horses  that  toiled 
along  with  rumbling  field-pieces ;  voiceless  now  and  impotent,  as 
once,  to  welcome  the  advancing  foe.  And  finally  the  cavalry  pickets 
came  in,  with  little  show  of  order ;  passed  across  the  last  bridge  and 
fired  it  behind  them.  Over  its  burning  timbers  rode  General 
Breckinridge  and  his  staff; — the  last  group  of  Confederates  was 
gone ; — Richmond  was  evacuated ! 

Dies  ircz — dies  ilia  I 


36°  four  Years  in  Rebel  Capitals. 


CHAPTER  XXXVIII. 

AFTER  THE   DEATH   BLOW   WAS   DEALT. 

Just  as  dawn  broke  through  the  smoke-eddies  over  the  deserted 
Capital,  the  morning  after  its  evacuation,  two  carriages  crept  through 
the  empty  streets,  toward  the  fortifications.  In  them — grave-faced 
and  sad — sat  the  Mayor  of  Richmond  and  a  committee  of  her  coun- 
cil, carrying  the  formal  surrender  to  the  Federal  commander  on  the 
northern  bank  of  the  James. 

Many  a  sad,  a  few  terrified,  faces  peered  at  them  through  closed 
shutters ;  but  the  eager  groups  about  the  fires,  striving  still  to  secure 
scraps  from  the  flames,  never  paused  for  a  glance  at  the  men  who 
bore  the  form  of  the  already  accomplished  fact. 

Before  long,  eager  watchers  from  Chimborazo  Heights  saw  blue- 
coats  rise  dim  over  the  distant  crest.  Then  came  the  clatter  of  cav- 
alry, sabers  drawn  and  at  a  trot ;  still  cautiously  feeling  their  way  into 
the  long-coveted  stronghold.  Behind  followed  artillery  and  infantry 
in  compact  column,  up  the  River  Road,  through  Rockett's  to  Capitol 
Square.  There  they  halted ;  raised  the  Stars-and-stripes  on  the  staff" 
from  which  the  Stars-and-bars  had  floated — often  in  their  very  sight 
— for  four  weary,  bitter  years  ! 

It  was  a  solemn  and  gloomy  march  ;  little  resembling  the  people's 
idea  of  triumphal  entry  into  a  captured  city.  The  troops  were  quiet, 
showing  little  elation  ;  their  officers  anxious  and  watchful  ever ;  and 
dead  silence  reigned  around  them,  broken  only  by  the  roar  and  hiss 
of  flames,  or  the  sharp  explosion  as  they  reached  some  magazine. 
Not  a  cheer  broke  the  stillness;  and  even  the  wrangling,  half-drunken 
bummers  round  the  fires  slunk  sullenly  away ;  while  but  few  negroes 
showed  their  faces,  and  those  ashen-black  from  indefinite  fear ;  their 
great  mouths  gaping  and  white  eyes  rolling  in  curious  dread  that  took 
away  their  faculty  for  noise. 


Four   Years  in  Rebel  Capitals.  361 

By  the  time  Weitzel's  brigade  of  occupation  had  been  posted — and 
•several  regiments  massed  on  the  Capitol — the  fire  had  become  gen- 
eral. Intending  only  to  destroy  munitions  and  supplies  of  war — the 
firing  party  had  been  more  hasty  than  discreet.  A  strong  breeze  sprang 
up,  off  the  river,  and  warehouse  followed  warehouse  into  the  line  of 
the  flames.  Old,  dry  and  crammed  with  cotton,  or  other  inflammable 
material,  these  burned  like  tinder ;  and  at  many  points,  whole  blocks 
were  on  fire. 

A  dense  pall  of  smoke  hovered  low  over  the  entire  city;  and 
through  it  shone  huge  eddies  of  flames  and  sparks,  carrying  great 
blazing  planks  and  rafters  whirling  over  the  shriveling  buildings.  Lit- 
tle by  little  these  drew  closer  together ;  and  by  noon,  one  vast,  livid 
flame  roared  and  screamed  before  the  wind,  from  Tenth  street  to 
Rockett's ;  licking  its  red  tongue  around  all  in  its  reach  and  drawing 
the  hope — the  very  life  of  thousands  into  its  relentless  maw ! 

Should  the  wind  shift,  that  rapidly-gaining  fire  would  sweep  up- 
town and  devour  the  whole  city;  but,  while  the  few  men  left  looked 
on  in  dismayed  apathy,  deliverance  came  from  the  enemy.  The 
regiments  in  Capitol  Square  stacked  arms;  were  formed  into  fire- 
squads ;  and  sped  at  once  to  points  of  danger.  Down  the  deserted 
streets  these  marched ;  now  hidden  by  eddying  smoke — again  show- 
ing like  silhouettes,  against  the  vivid  glare  behind  them.  Once  at 
their  points  for  work,  the  men  went  at  it  with  a  will;  and — so 
strong  was  force  of  discipline — with  no  single  attempt  at  plunder 
reported ! 

Military  training  never  had  better  vindication  than  on  that  fearful 
day ;  for  its  bonds  must  have  been  strong  indeed,  to  hold  that  army, 
suddenly  in  possession  of  city  so  coveted — so  defiant — so  deadly,  for 
four  long  years. 

Whatever  the  citizens  may  vaguely  have  expected  from  Grant's 
army,  what  they  received  from  it  that  day  was  aid — protection — 
safety !  Demoralized  and  distracted  by  sorrow  and  imminent  dan- 
ger; with  almost  every  male  absent — with  no  organization  and  no 
means  to  fight  the  new  and  terrible  enemy — the  great  bulk  of  Rich-: 
mond's  population  might  have  been  houseless  that  night,  but  for  the 
disciplined  promptitude  of  the  Union  troops.  The  men  worked 
with  good  will;  their  officers,  with  ubiquitous  energy.  If  the  fire 
could  not  be  stayed,  at  any  particular  point,  a  squad  entered  each 


362  Four  Years  in  Rebel  Capitals. 

house,  bore  its  contents  to  a  safe  distance ;  and  there  a  guard  was 
placed  over  them. 

Sad  and  singular  groups  were  there,  too.  Richmond's  best  and 
tenderest  nurtured  women  moved  among  their  household  gods,  hastily 
piled  in  the  streets,  selecting  this  or  that  sacred  object,  to  carry  it  in 
their  own  hands — where  ?  Poor  families,  utterly  beggared,  sat  wring- 
ing their  hands  amid  the  wreck  of  what  was  left,  homeless  and  hope- 
less ;  while,  here  and  there,  the  shattered  remnant  of  a  soldier  was 
borne,  on  a  stretcher  in  kindly,  if  hostile,  hands,  through  clouds  of 
smoke  and  mourning  relatives  to  seme  safer  point. 

Ever  blacker  and  more  dense  floated  the  smoke-pall  over  the  de- 
serted city;  ever  louder  and  more  near  roared  the  hungry  flames. 
And  constantly,  through  all  that  dreadful  day,  the  whoo  I  of  shells 
from  magazines,  followed  by  the  thud  of  explosion,  cut  the  dull  roar 
of  the  fire.  For — whether  through  negligence  or  want  of  time — 
charged  shells  of  all  sizes  had  been  left  in  the  many  ordnance  stores 
when  the  torch  was  applied.  These  narrow  brick  chambers — now 
white  hot  and  with  a  furnace-blast  through  them — swept  the  heaviest 
shells  like  cinders  over  the  burning  district.  Rising  high  in  air,  with 
hissing  fuses,  they  burst  at  many  points,  adding  new  terrors  to  the 
infernal  scene ;  and  some  of  them,  borne  far  beyond  the  fire's  limit, 
burst  over  the  houses,  tearing  and  igniting  their  dry  roofs. 

Slowly  the  day,  filled  with  its  hideous  sights  and  sounds,  wore  on; 
and  slowly  the  perseverance  of  man  told  against  the  devouring  ele- 
ment. The  fire  was,  at  last,  kept  within  its  own  bounds ;  then  grad- 
ually forced  backward,  to  leave  a  charred,  steaming  belt  between  it 
and  the  unharmed  town.  Within  this,  the  flames  still  leaped  and 
writhed  and  wrangled  in  their  devilish  glee;  but  Richmond  was  now 
comparatively  safe,  and  her  wretched  inhabitants  might  think  of  food 
and  rest.  Little  had  they  recked  of  either  for  many  a  dread  hour 
past! 

The  provost- marshal,  that  unfailing  adjunct  to  every  occupation  r 
had  fixed  his  office  at  the  court-house.  There  a  mixed  and  singular 
crowd  waited  gloomily,  or  jostled  eagerly,  for  speech  of  the  autocrat 
of  the  hour.  Captured  officers  stood  quietly  apart,  or  peered  out 
earnestly  through  the  smoke  drifts,  while  their  commitments  to  Libby 
Prison  were  made  out ;  anxious  and  wan  women,  of  every  sphere  in 
life,  besieged  the  clerk  preparing  "protection  papers;"  while  a  fussy 


Four  Years  in  Rebel  Capitals.  363 

official,  of  higher  grade,  gave  assurance  to  every  one  that  guards 
should  be  placed  about  their  homes.  For  the  deserted  women  of 
Richmond  dreaded  not  only  the  presence  of  the  victorious  enemy, 
but  also  that  of  the  drunken  and  brutalized  "  bummers"  and  desert- 
ers who  stayed  behind  their  own  army. 

The  guards  were  really  stationed  as  promptly  as  was  practicable ; 
the  fire-brigade  men  were  sent  to  quarters;  pickets  in  blue  patroled 
the  outskirts;  and,  by  nightfall,  the  proud  Capital  of  the  Southern 
Confederacy  was  only  a  Federal  barrack ! 

For  two  days  after  their  entrance  the  Union  army  might  have 
supposed  they  had  captured  a  city  of  the  dead.  The  houses  were 
all  tightly  closed,  shutters  fastened  and  curtains  drawn  down ;  and 
an  occasional  blue-coated  sentry  in  porch,  or  front  yard,  was  the 
sole  sign  of  life.  In  the  streets  it  was  little  different.  Crowds  of  sol- 
diers moved  curiously  from  point  to  point,  large  numbers  of  negroes 
mixing  with  them — anxious  to  assist  their  new  found  brotherhood, 
but  wearing  most  awkwardly  their  vested  rights.  Here  and  there  a 
gray  jacket  would  appear  for  a  moment — the  pale  and  worn  face 
above  it  watching  with  anxious  eyes  the  unused  scene ;  then  it  would 
disappear  again.  This  was  all.  The  Federals  had  full  sweep  of  the 
city — with  its  silent  streets  and  its  still  smoking  district,  charred  and 
blackened;  where,  for  acre  after  acre,  only  fragments  of  walls  re- 
mained, and  where  tall  chimney  stacks,  gaunt  and  tottering,  pointed 
to  heaven  in  witness  against  the  useless  sacrifice. 

For  two  days  this  lasted.  The  curious  soldiers  lounged  about  the 
silent  town,  the  burned  desert  still  sent  up  its  clouds  of  close,  fetid 
smoke ;  the  ladies  of  Richmond  remained  close  prisoners.  Then 
necessity  drove  them  out,  to  seek  food,  or  some  means  to  obtain  it; 
to  visit  the  sick  left  behind  ;  or  to  make  charitable  visits  to  those  who 
might  be  even  less  provided  than  themselves. 

Clad  almost  invariably  in  deep  mourning — with  heavy  veils  inva- 
riably hiding  their  faces — the  broken-hearted  daughters  of  the  Capital 
moved  like  shadows  of  the  past,  through  the  places  that  were  theirs 
no  longer.  There  was  no  ostentation  of  disdain  for  their  conquerors 
— no  assumption  of  horror  if  they  passed  a  group  of  Federals — no 
affected  brushing  of  the  skirt  from  the  contact  with  the  blue.  There 
was  only  deep  and  real  dejection — sorrow  bearing  too  heavily  on 
brain  and  heart  to  make  an  outward  show — to  even  note  smaller 


364  Four  Years  in  Rebel  Capitals. 

annoyances  that  might  else  have  proved  so  keen.  If  forced  into 
collision,  or  communication,  with  the  northern  officers,  ladies  were 
courteous  as  cold;  they  made  no  parade  of  hatred,  but  there  was 
that  in  their  cold  dignity  which  spoke  plainly  of  impassable  barriers. 

And,  to  their  credit  be  it  spoken,  the  soldiers  of  the  North  re- 
spected the  distress  they  could  but  see;  the  bitterness  they  could 
not  misunderstand.  They  made  few  approaches  toward  forcing  their 
society — even  where  billeted  in  the  houses  of  the  citizens,  keeping 
aloof  and  never  intruding  on  the  family  circle. 

For  several  days  the  water-approaches  to  the  city  could  not  be 
cleared  from  the  obstructions  sunk  in  them ;  all  railroad  communica- 
tion was  destroyed,  and  the  whole  population  was  dependent  upon 
the  slender  support  of  the  wagon  trains.  Few  even  of  the  wealthiest 
families  had  been  able  to  make  provision  ahead ;  scarcely  any  one 
had  either  gold,  or  greenbacks;  and  suffering  became  actual  and 
pinching.  Then  came  the  order  that  the  Federal  commissary  was  to 
issue  rations  to  those  needing  them.  Pinching  themselves,  as  they 
did;  preferring  to  subsist  on  the  slenderest  food  that  would  sustain 
life,  to  accepting  the  charity  of  the  enemy — many  of  those  suffering 
women  were  driven  by  sheer  hunger — by  the  threatened  starvation  of 
their  children,  or  of  the  loved  wounded  ones  near  them — to  seek  the 
proffered  bounty.  They  forced  their  way  into  the  surging,  fighting 
crowd  of  greasy  and  tattered  negroes,  of  dark-faced  "  bummers  "  and 
"loyal"  residents — and  they  received  small  rations  of  cornmeal  and 
codfish;  bearing  them  home  to  be  eaten  with  what  bitter  seasoning 
they  might  of  tears  from  pain  and  humiliation. 

The  direst  destitution  of  the  war  had  been  nothing  to  this.  With 
their  own  people  around  them,  with  hope  and  love  to  sustain  them, 
the  women  of  Richmond  did  not  wince  under  the  pinch  of  want.  But 
now,  surrounded  by  enemies,  with  not  a  pound  of  flour,  or  a  cent  of 
currency,  actual  starvation — as  well  as  humiliation — stared  them  in 
the  face.  The  few  who  went  to  draw  rations,  sat  down  in  blank  de- 
spair. They  could  not  make  up  their  minds  to  go  again.  The  fewer 
still,  who  had  the  least  surplus  from  immediate  wants,  distributed  it 
freely ;  and  a  cup  of  sugar  from  a  slender  stock  was  bartered  here  for 
a  few  slices  of  the  hoarded  ham,  or  a  pound  or  two  of  necessary 
meal. 

Meantime,  sutlers,  peddlers  and  hucksters  swarmed  in  like  locusts, 


Four  Years  in  Rebel  Capitals.  365 

on  the  very  first  steamers  up  the  river.  They  crowded  Broad  street, 
the  unburned  stores  on  Main,  and  even  the  alleyways,  with  great 
piles  of  every  known  thing  that  could  be  put  up  in  tin.  They  had 
calculated  on  a  rich  harvest ;  but  they  had  reckoned  without  their 
host.  There  was  no  money  in  Richmond  to  spend  with  them ;  and 
after  a  profitless  sojourn,  they  took  up  their  tin  cans,  and  one  by  one 
returned  North — certainly  wiser  and,  possibly,  better  men.  It  was 
peculiar  to  note  the  universality  of  southern  sympathy  among  these 
traders.  There  was  scarcely  one  among  them  who  didn't  think  the 
war  "a  darned  shame;"  they  were  intensely  sympathetic  and  all 
came  from  South  of  the  Pennsylvania  line.  But  the  supporters,  either 
of  their  principles,  or  their  trade,  were  the  few  lucky  negroes  who' 
could  collect  ' '  stamps,"  in  never  so  small  qualities  ;  and  to  such  the 
sutlers  were  a  joy  forever. 

Shut  off  entirely  from  any  communication  with  their  retreating 
troops  and  mingling  so  little  with  their  captors,  Richmond  people  got 
only  most  startling  and  unreliable  rumors  from  the  army.  Clinging, 
with  the  tenacity  of  the  drowning,  to  the  least  straw  of  hope,  they 
would  not  yet  give  up  utterly  that  army  they  had  looked  on  so  long  as 
invincible — that  cause,  which  was  more  than  life  to  them !  Though 
they  knew  the  country  around  was  filled  with  deserters  and  strag- 
glers ;  though  the  Federals  had  brigades  lying  round  Richmond  in 
perfect  idleness — still  for  a  time  the  rumor  gained  credit  that  General 
Lee  had  turned  on  his  pursuer,  at  Amelia  Court  House,  and  gained  a 
decisive  victory  over  him.  Then  came  the  more  positive  news 
that  Ewell  was  cut  off  with  13,000  men;  and,  finally,  on  the 
9th  of  April,  Richmond  heard  that  Lee  had  surrendered.  Surely  as 
this  result  should  have  been  looked  forward  to — gradually  as  the 
popular  mind  had  been  led  to  it — still  it  came  as  a  blow  of  terrific 
suddenness.  The  people  refused  to  believe  it — they  said  it  was  a 
Yankee  trick;  and  when  the  salute  of  one  hundred  guns  rang  out 
from  forts  and  shipping,  they  still  said,  bitterly,  it  was  a  ruse  to  make 
them  commit  themselves. 

Gradually  they  came  to  accept  the  inevitable ;  and,  as  the  last  ray 
of  hope  died  out,  its  place  was  filled  with  the  intense  yearning  to 
know  the  fate  of  those  lost  and  loved  ones — to  know  if  they  had  died 
at  the  bitter  ending,  or  lived  to  be  borne  away  into  captivity. 
Forgetting  pride,  hostility — all  but  their  anxiety  for  those  so  precious- 


366  Four  Years  in  Rebel  Capitals. 

to  them  now — the  women  caught  at  every  shred  of  information  ; 
questioned  ignorant  soldiers  eagerly;  and  listened  patiently  to  the 
intelligible  news  the  officers  were  only  too  willing  to  give.  And  at 
last  these  rumors  assumed  tangible  form — there  was  no  longer  any 
room  to  doubt.  General  Lee,  weakened  by  desertion  and  breaking 
down  of  his  men — by  General  EwelPs  capture  and  by  the  sense  of 
hopelessness  of  further  resistance,  had  on  the  morning  of  the  gth 
of  April,  surrendered  24,000  men — including  the  volunteer  citizens, 
and  the  naval  brigade  of  all  the  Richmond  ship's-crews — and  with 
them  8,000  muskets!  Such,  too,  was  the  condition  of  the  horses  that 
the  Federals  refused  even  to  drive  them  away  from  their  stands. 
Little  need,  indeed,  had  there  been  for  those  extra  brigades  around 
the  city. 

Then  Richmond,  sitting  like  Rachel  in  her  desolation,  waited  for 
the  return  of  her  vanquished — heroes  still  to  her.  News  came  of  the 
general  parole;  and  every  sound  across  the  river — every  cloud  of 
dust  at  the  pontoon  bridge — was  the  signal  for  a  rush  to  doorstep  and 
porch.  Days  passed  and  the  women — not  realizing  the  great  difficul- 
ties of  transportation — grew  impatient  to  clasp  their  loved  ones  once 
more  to  their  hearts.  False  outcries  were  made  every  hour,  only  to 
result  in  sickening  disappointment  and  suspense.  At  last  the  evening 
of  the  third  day  came  and,  just  at  dusk,  a  single  horseman  turned 
slowly  into  deserted  Franklin  street. 

Making  no  effort  to  urge  his  jaded  beast,  travel-stained  and  weary 
himself,  he  let  the  reins  fall  from  his  hands  and  his  head  droop  upon 
his  chest.  It  was  some  time  before  any  one  noticed  that  he  wore  the 
beloved  gray — that  he  was  Major  B.,  one  of  the  bravest  and  most 
staunch  of  the  noble  youth  Richmond  had  sent  out  at  the  first.  Like 
electricity  the  knowledge  ran  from  house  to  house — "Tom  B.  has 
come!  The  army  is  coming  !" 

Windows,  doorsteps  and  curbstones  became  alive  at  the  words — 
each  woman  had  known  him  from  childhood — had  known  him  joyous, 
and  frank,  and  ever  gay.  Each  longed  to  ask  for  husband,  son,  or 
brother;  but  all  held  back  as  they  saw  the  dropped  head,  and  felt  his 
sorrow  too  deep  to  be  disturbed. 

At  last  one  fair  wife,  surrounded  by  her  young  children,  stepped 
into  the  road  and  spoke.  The  ice  was  broken.  The  soldier  was  sur- 
rounded ;  fair  faces  quivering  with  suspense,  looked  up  to  his,  ?s 


Four  Years  in  Rebel  Capitals.  367 

soft  voices  begged  for  news  of — "somebody's  darling;"  and  tender 
hands  even  patted  the  starved  beast  that  had  borne  the  hero  home ! 
The  broad  chest  heaved  as  it  would  burst,  a  great  sob  shook  the  stal- 
wart frame,  and  a  huge  teardrop  rolled  down  the  cheek  that  had 
never  changed  color  in  the  hottest  flashes  of  the  fight.  And  then  the 
sturdy  soldier — conquering  his  emotion  but  with  no  shame  for  it — 
told  all  he  could  and  lightened  many  a  heavy  heart.  And  up  to  his 
own  door  they  walked  by  his  side,  bareheaded  and  in  the  roadway, 
and  there  they  left  him  alone  to  be  folded  in  the  embrace  of  the 
mother  to  whom  he  still  was  ''glorious  in  the  dust.  " 

Next  morning  a  small  group  of  horsemen  appeared  on  the  further 
side  of  the  pontoons.  By  some  strange  intuition,  it  was  known  that 
General  Lee  was  among  them,  and  a  crowd  collected  all  along  the 
route  he  would  take,  silent  and  bareheaded.  There  was  no  excite- 
ment, no  hurrahing;  but,  as  the  great  chief  passed,  a  deep,  loving 
murmur,  greater  than  these,  rose  from  the  very  hearts  of  the  crowd. 
Taking  off  his  hat  and  simply  bowing  his  head,  the  man  great  in  ad- 
versity passed  silently  to  his  own  door ;  it  closed  upon  him,  and  his 
people  had  seen  him  for  the  last  time  in  his  battle  harness. 

Later  others  came,  by  scores  and  hundreds;  many  a  household 
was  made  glad  that  could  not  show  a  crust  for  dinner ;  and  then  for 
days  Franklin  street  lived  again.  Once  more  the  beloved  gray  was 
everywhere,  and  once  more  bright  eyes  regained  a  little  of  their 
brightness,  as  they  looked  upon  it. 

Then  suddenly  the  reins  were  tightened.  On  the  morning  of  the 
i4th,  the  news  of  Lincoln's  murder  fell  like  a  thunderclap  upon 
victor  and  vanquished  in  Richmond.  At  first  the  news  was  not  cred- 
ited ;  then  an  indignant  denial  swelled  up  from  the  universal  heart, 
that  it  was  for  southern  vengeance,  or  that  southern  men  could  have 
sympathy  in  so  vile  an  act.  The  sword  and  not  the  dagger  was  the 
weapon  the  South  had  proved  she  could  use ;  and  through  the  length 
and  breadth  of  the  conquered  land  was  a  universal  condemnation  of 
the  deed. 

But  the  Federal  authorities — whether  sincere  in  their  belief,  or  not 
— made  this  the  pretext  for  a  thorough  change  of  policy  in  Rich- 
mond. 

First  came  uniform  orders,  that  none  of  the  insignia,  or  rank 
marks,  of  the  South  should  be  worn — a  measure  peculiarly  oppressive 


Four  Years  in  2\.cbcl  Capitals. 

to  men  who  had  but  one  coat.  Then  came  rules  about  "congrega- 
tions of  rebels,"  and  three  Confederates  could  not  stand  a  moment 
on  a  corner,  without  dispersion  by  a  provost-guard. 

Finally  came  the  news  of  Johnston's  surrender — of  the  last  blow 
to  the  cause,  now  lost  indeed.  Still  this  fact  had  been  considered  a 
certain  one  from  the  date  of  Lee's  surrender ;  and  it  bore  none  of 
the  crushing  weight  that  had  made  them  refuse  to  believe  in  the  latter. 
Confident  as  all  were  in  General  Johnston's  ability  to  do  all  that  man 
might,  they  still  knew  his  numerical  weakness;  that  he  must  ere 
long  be  crushed  between  the  upper  and  nether  millstones.  So  this 
news  was  received  with  a  sigh,  rather  than  a  groan. 

There  was  a  momentary  hope  that  the  wise  covenant  between 
Generals  Johnston  and  Sherman,  as  to  the  basis  of  the  surrender, 
would  be  indorsed  by  the  Government ;  but  the  result  of  its  refusal 
and  of  the  final  surrender  on  the  i3th — was  after  all  little  different 
from  what  all  had  expected.  Even  the  wild  and  maddened  spirits, 
who  refused  to  accept  Lee's  cartel,  and  started  to  work  their  way  to 
Johnston,  could  have  had  no  hope  of  his  final  success  in  their  calmer 
moments. 

But  Johnston's  surrender  did  not  lift  the  yoke  from  Richmond,  in 
any  degree.  Police  regulations  of  the  most  annoying  character  were 
imposed;  the  fact  of  a  parole  bearing  any  significance  was  entirely 
ignored ;  no  sort  of  grace  was  shown  to  its  possessor,  unless  he  took 
the  oath ;  and  many  men,  caught  in  Richmond  at  this  time  and  far 
from  home,  were  reduced  to  distress  and  almost  starvation  by  the  re- 
fusal of  transportation. 

All  this  the  southern  people  bore  with  patience.  They  submitted 
to  all  things  but  two :  they  would  not  take  the  oath  and  they  would 
not  mix  socially  with  their  conquerors.  In  that  respect  the  line  was 
as  rigorously  drawn  in  Richmond,  at  that  time,  as  ever  Venice  drew 
it  against  the  Austrian.  Not  that  any  attempt  was  omitted  by  the 
Federals  to  overcome  what  they  called  this  "prejudice."  There  was 
music  in  Capitol  Square,  by  the  best  bands  of  the  army,  and  the 
ladies  were  specially  invited  by  the  public  prints.  Not  one  went ; 
and  the  officers  listened  to  their  own  music  in  company  with  numbers 
of  lusty  black  emancipated,  who  fully  felt  themselves  women  and  sis- 
ters. Next  it  was  given  out  that  the  negroes  would  not  be  admitted; 
but  then  the  officers  listened  alone,  and  finally  gave  it  up.  Failing  in 


Four  Years  in  Rebel  Capitals.  369 

public,  every  effort — short  of  rudeness  and  intrusion,  which  were 
never  resorted  to — was  made  to  effect  a  social  lodgment  in  private. 
But  no  Federal  uniform  ever  crossed  a  rebel  threshold,  in  those  days, 
save  on  business.  The  officers  occupied  parts  of  many  houses ;  but 
they  were  made  to  feel  that  the  other  part,  occupied  by  the  household, 
was  private  still. 

Another  infliction,  harder  to  bear,  was  the  well-meant  intrusion  of 
old  friends  from  the  North.  Pleasure  parties  to  Richmond  were  of 
constant  occurrence ;  and  for  the  time  quite  eclipsed  in  popularity, 
with  the  Washington  idlers,  the  inevitable  pilgrimage  to  Mt.  Vernon. 
Gaily  dressed  and  gushing  over  in  the  merriment  of  a  party  of  pleas- 
ure, these  visitors  often  sought  out  their  ante-bellum  friends ;  and  then 
and  there  would  condone  the  crime  of  rebellion  to  them — sitting  in 
desolation  by  the  ashes  of  their  household  gods.  It  is  not  hard  to 
understand  how  bitter  was  proffered  forgiveness,  to  those  who  never 
admitted  they  could  have  been  wrong;  and  perhaps  the  soft  answer 
that  turneth  away  wrath,  was  not  always  given  to  such  zealously  offi- 
cious friends. 

There  was  little  bitterness  expressed,  however  much  may  have  fer- 
mented in  the  hearts  of  the  captured ;  and,  as  a  general  thing,  the 
people  were  grateful  for  the  moderation  of  the  Yankees,  and  appre- 
ciated the  good  they  had  done  at  the  fire.  But,  deeper  than  any  bit- 
terness could  have  sunk,  was  that  ingrained  feeling  that  there  were 
two  peoples  that  these  could  never  again  mingle  in  former  amity,  till 
oil  and  water  might  mix.  The  men  especially — and  with  much  ap- 
parent reason — were  utterly  hopeless  of  the  future ;  and,  collecting  in 
knots,  they  would  gloomily  discuss  the  prospect  of  emigration,  as  if 
that  were  the  sole  good  the  future  held.  There  can  be  little  doubt 
that  had  the  ability  been  theirs,  a  large  majority  of  the  young  men 
of  the  South  would  have  gone  abroad,  to  seek  their  fortunes  in  new 
paths  and  under  new  skies.  Luckily,  for  their  country,  the  com- 
mander at  Richmond  failed  to  keep  his  agreement  with  the  paroled 
officers;  and — after  making  out  rolls  of  those  who  would  be  granted 
free  permission  and  passage  to  Canada,  England  or  South  America — 
those  rolls  were  suddenly  annulled  and  the  whole  matter  given  up. 
Thus  a  number  of  useful,  invaluable  men  who  have  ever  since  fought 
the  •  good  fight  against  that  outrage — the  imposition  of  negro  domi- 
nance over  her — were  saved  to  the  South. 
24 


370  Four  Years  in  Rebel  Capitals. 

And  that  good  fight,  begun  in  the  natural  law  of  self-preservation, 
has  eventuated  to  the  interests  of  a  common  country.  For  no  one 
who  does  not  intimately  understand  the  character  of  the  negro — his 
mental  and  moral,  as  well  as  his  physical,  constitution — can  begin  to 
comprehend  the  sin  committed  against  him,  even  more  than  against 
the  white  man,  by  putting  him  in  the  false  attitude  of  equality  with, 
or  antagonism  to,  the  latter. 

No  one,  who  did  not  move  among  the  negroes,  immediately  after 
conquest  of  the  South — and  who  did  not  see  them  with  experience- 
opened  eyes — can  approach  realization  of  the  pernicious  workings  of 
that  futile  attempt. 

Writing  upon  the  inner  details  of  the  war  and  its  resulting  action 
upon  the  morale  of  the  southern  people,  omission  can  not  be  made 
of  that  large  and  unfortunate  class ;  driven — first  by  blind  fanaticism, 
later  by  fear  of  their  own  party-existence — into  abnormal  condition 
by  the  ultra  radicals.  The  negro  rapidly  changed;  "equality"  frit- 
tered away  what  good  instincts  he  had  and  developed  all  the  worst, 
innate  with  him.  It  changed  him  from  a  careless  and  thriftless,  but 
happy  and  innocent  producer,  into  a  mere  consumer,  at  best ;  often 
indeed,  into  a  besotted  and  criminal  idler,  subsisting  in  part  upon 
Nature's  generosity  in  supplying  cabbage  and  fish,  in  part  upon  the 
thoughtlessness  of  his  neighbor  in  supplying  chickens  and  eggs. 

Yet — so  powerful  is  result  of  habit;  on  so  much  foundation  of 
nature  is  based  the  Scythian  fable — the  negroes  of  the  South,  imme- 
diately succeeding  the  surrender,  used  the  new  greatness  thrust  upon 
them  with  surprising  innocence.  Laziness,  liquor  and  loud  assevera- 
tions of  freedom  and  equality  were  its  only  blessings  claimed ;  and 
the  commission  of  overt  acts,  beyond  those  named,  were  rare  enough 
to  prove  the  rule  of  force  of  habit.  Lured  from  old  service  for  a 
time,  most  of  them  followed  not  far  the  gaudy  and  shining  Will-o'- 
the-Wisp ;  and  almost  all — especially  the  household  and  personal  ser- 
vants— soon  returned  to  "Ole  Mas'r"  once  more,  sadder  and  wiser 
for  the  futile  chase  after  freedom's  joys.  But,  even  these  were  partly 
spoiled  and  rendered  of  far  less  practical  use  to  themselves,  or  lo 
their  employers. 

The  "  negro  question"  to-day  is  made  merely  a  matter  of  politics, 
rather  than  one  of  political  economy.  At  the  date  of  the  Confed- 
eracy's death,  it  is  a  matter  of  history. 


Four  Years  in  Rebel  Capitals.  371 

Gradually — by  very  slow  degrees — people  in  Richmond — as  else- 
where in  the  South,  further  removed  from  victor's  contact — began  to 
grow  so  far  accustomed  to  the  chains  imposed  upon  them,  that  they 
seemed  less  unbearably  galling.  Little  by  little — forced  by  the  neces- 
sities of  themselves  and  of  those  still  dearer — men  went  to  work  at 
new  and  strange  occupations  ;  doing  not  what  they  would,  but  what 
they  could,  in  the  bitter  struggle  with  want  for  their  daily  bread. 
But,  spite  of  earnest  resolve  and  steady  exertion, 

"There  was  little  to  earn  and  many  to  keep — " 

and  every  month  it  seemed  to  grow  harder  and  harder  to  make  the 
bare  means  of  life.  And  not  alone  did  the  men  work — hard  and 
steadily,  early  and  late.  As  the  women  of  the  South  had  been  the 
counsellors,  the  comforters,  the  very  life  of  the  soldiers  when  the 
dark  hour  was  threatened ;  so  they  proved  themselves  worthy  help- 
meets now  that  it  had  come. 

No  privation  was  too  great,  no  work  too  unaccustomed  for  them 
to  undergo.  Little  hands  that  had  never  held  even  a  needle  until  the 
war,  now  wrought  laboriously  at  the  varied — sometimes  even  menial 
— occupations  that  the  hour  demanded.  And  they  worked,  as  they 
had  borne  the  war — with  never  a  murmur ;  with  ever  a  cheering  word 
for  the  fellow-laborer  beside  them — with  a  bright  trust  in  the  future 
and  that  each  one's  particular  "  King  should  have  his  own  again." 

And  here  the  author's  task  is  ended — albeit  far  from  completed ; 
for  so  little  has  been  told,  where  there  was  so  much  to  tell.  But, 
there  was  no  longer  a  Rebel  Capital,  to  offer  its  inside  view ;  and 
what  followed  the  fall — were  it  not  already  a  twice-told  tale — has  no 
place  in  these  pages.  Disjointed  sketches,  these  have  perchance 
told  some  new,  or  interesting,  facts.  Certes,  they  have  omitted 
many  more,  well  worth  the  telling,  noted  during  those  four  unparal- 
leled years ;  but  plainly  not  compressible,  within  the  limits  of  one 
volume. 

Happily,  the  trials,  the  strain,  the  suffering  of  those  years  remain 
with  us,  but  as  a  memory.  That  memory  is,  to  the  South,  a  sacred 
heritage  which  unreasoning  fanaticism  may  not  dim — which  Time, 
himself,  shall  not  efface.  To  the  North  that  memory  should  be  cleared 
of  prejudice  and  bitterness,  becoming  thus  a  lesson  priceless  in  worth. 

Happily,  too,  the  sober   second  thought  of  a  common  people, 


372  Four  Years  in  Rebel  Capitals. 

aided  by  the  loyalty  of  the  South — to  herself  and  to  her  plighted  faith 
— has  changed  into  recemented  union  of  pride  and  of  interest,  that 
outlook  from  the  crumbled  gates  of  Richmond,  which  made  her  peo- 
ple groan  in  their  hearts : 

Solitudinem  faciunt  appellantquc  paceml 


FINIS. 


APPENDIX. 


FIRST  AND  LAST  BLOOD  OF  THE  WAR. 

\Vhilethe  battle  of  Bethel  is  recorded  in  the  foiegoing  pages  as  the  first  decided  fight 
of  the  war  between  the  States,  it  may  leave  erroneous  impression  not  to  note  the  date  of 
"first  blood"  really  shed  in  action  on  southern  soil.  In  the  report  of  the  Adjutant-gen- 
eral of  the  State  of  Virginia,  for  1866,  occurs  this  entry  : 

J.  Q.  Marr,  graduated  July  4,  1846.  Lawyer.  Member  of  the  Virginia  Convention. 
Kntered  military  service  as  Captain  of  Virginia  Volunteers,  April  i,  1861.  Killed  at 
Fairfax  Courthouse,  Virginia,  May  13,  1861.  First  blood  of  the  war. 

Naturally,  many  conflicting  statements  as  to  the  last  effective  shot  of  the  long  struggle 
were  made  and  received  as  true.  The  most  reliable  would  appear  to  be  the  following, 
reproduced  from  a  paper  printed  by  the  boys  of  Mr.  Denson's  school,  in  the  village  of 
1'ittsboro,  N.  C.,  in  1866  : 

The  accomplished  author  of  that  series  of  interesting  papers,  "  The  Last  Ninety  Days 
of  the  War  in  North  Carolina,"  published  in  The  Watchman,  New  York,  states  that  the  la'st 
blood  of  the  war  was  shed  near  the  Atkins  plantation,  a  few  miles  from  Chapel  Hill,  on  the 
14th  April,  1865.  In  a  later  number  of  the  same  paper,  a  member  of  the  First  Tennes- 
see Cavalry  says  that  it  is  a  mistake  ;  that  companies  K  and  F,  of  the  same  regiment  to 
which  he  belonged,  skirmished  sharply  with  the  Federals  on  the  isth,  and  claims  that  this 
was  the  last  blood  shed.  Both  are  in  error  :  there  was  a  skirmish  near  Mt.  Zion  church, 
two  miles  south-east  of  Pittsboro.  North  Carolina,  between  a  body  of  Wheeler's  cavalry 
and  a  party  of  Federals,  on  the  i/th  of  April  ;  two  Yankees  were  wounded,  and  three 
others,  with  several  horses,  captured.  There  was  other  skirmishing  in  the  neighborhood 
about  this  time,  and  as  late  as  the  2gth  (two  days  after  General  Johnston  surrendered),  a 
squad  of  Federal  cavalry  rode  through  Pittsboro,  firing  upon  the  citizens  and  returned 
soldiers,  and  receiving  their  fire  in  return.  These  men  were  pursued  and  overtaken  near 
Haw  river,  where  a  skirmish  occurred,  in  which  two  of  the  Yankees  were  killed  and  two 
others  wounded,  one  mortally.  This  Haw  river  incident  is  a  familiar  and  well  authenti- 
cated one  and  most  probably  it  really  showed  the  last  of  the  long  bloodshed. 


WHY  NO  PURSUIT  AFTER  MANASSAS. 

Attention  has  frequently  been  drawn  to  the  restiveness  of  the  entire  southern  people, 
under  alleged  neglect  to  seize  golden  opportunities  for  pressing  the  enemy,  after  Con- 
federate successes.  Most  frequently  repeated  of  all  these  charges,  is  that  which  puts  upon 
the  shoulders  of  Jefferson  Davis  the  onus  of  delay— and  of  all  resulting  evil— after  the 
first  victory  on  Manassas  Plains.  This  charge  receives  semi-official  sanction,  from  ex- 
Vice-President  Stephens  ;  for  his  history  of  the  war  plainly  asserts  that  to  the  President 
was  due  "  the  failure  of  the  Confederate  troops  to  advance  after  the  battle  of  Manassas." 
The  following  correspondence  between  the  two  men  most  interested  in  that  mooted 
question  may  therefore  be  read  with  interest  by  all  candid  thinkers  : 

RICHMOND,  VA.,  Novembers,  1861. 
General  J.  E.  Johnston,  Commanding  Department  of  the  Potomac  : 

SIR  :  Reports  have  been  and  are  being  widely  circulated  to  the  effect  that  I  prevented 
General  Beauregard  from  pursuing  the  enemy  after  the  battle  of  Manassas,  and  had 
subsequently  restrained  him  from  advancing  upon  Washington  City.  Though  such 
statements  may  have  been  made  merely  for  my  injury,  and  in  that  view  their  notice  might 
be  postponed  to  a  more  convenient  season,  they  have  acquired  importance  from  the  fact 
that  they  have  served  to  create  distrust,  to  excite  disappointment,  and  must  embarrass  the 
administration  in  its  further  efforts  to  re-enforce  the  armies  of  the  Potomac,  and  generally 
to  provide  for  the  public  defense. 

For  these  public  considerations,  I  call  upon  you  as  the  commanding  general,  and  as  a 
party  to  all  the  conferences  held  by  me  on  the  2ist  and  22d  of  July,  to  say  whether  I 
obstructed  the  pursuit  of  the  enemy  after  the  victory  at  Manassas,  or  have  ever  objected  to 
an  advance  or  other  active  operation  which  it  was  feasible  for  the  army  to  undertake  ? 
Very  respectfully  yours,  etc.,  JEFFERSON  DAVIS. 

(373) 


374  Appendix. 

HEADQUARTERS,  CENTRF.VII.I.K,  November  10,  ififii. 
To  His  Excellency,  tJte  President? 

SIR  :  I  have  had  the  honor  to  receive  your  letter  of  the  3<1  instant,  in  which  you  call 
upon  me,  as  the  "  Commanding  General,  and  as  a  party  to  all  the  conferences  held  by  you 
on  the  2ist  and  22d  of  July,  to  say  : 

"Whether  I  obstructed  the  pursuit  after  the  battle  of  Manassas. 

"Or  have  ever  objected  to  an  advance,  or  other  active  operations  which  it  was  feasible 
for  the  army  to  undertake." 

To  the  first  question  I  reply:  No.  The  pursuit  was  "  obstructed  "  by  the  enemy's 
troops  at  Centreville,  as  I  have  stated  in  my  official  report.  In  that  report  I  have  also  said 
why  no  advance  was  made  upon  the  enemy's  capital  (for  reasons)  as  follows  : 

The  apparent  freshness  of  the  United  States  troops  at  Centreville,  which  checked  our 
pursuit ;  the  strong  forces  occupying  the  works  near  Georgetown,  Arlington  and  Alexan- 
dria ;  the  certainty,  too,  that  General  Patterson,  if  needed,  would  reach  Washington  with 
his  army  of  more  than  30,000,  sooner  than  we  could;  and  the  condition  and  inadequate 
means  of  the  army  in  ammunition,  provision  and  transportation,  prevented  any  serious 
thoughts  of  advancing  against  the  Capital. 

To  the  second  question,  I  reply,  that  it  has  never  been  feasible  for  the  army  to  advance 
further  than  it  has  done — to  the  line  of  Fairfax  Courthouse,  with  its  advanced  posts  at 
Upton's,  Muuson's  and  Mason's  Hills.  After  a  conference  at  Fairfax  Courthouse  with  the 
three  senior  General  officers,  you  announced  it  to  be  impracticable  to  give  this  army  the 
strength  which  those  officers  considered  necessary  to  enable  it  to  assume  the  offensive. 
Upon  which,  I  drew  it  back,  to  its  present  position. 

Most  respectfully  your  obedient  servant,  J.  IJ.  JOHNSTON. 

A  true  copy : 

G.  W.  C.  LKE,  Col.  and  A.  D.  C. 


THE  FIRING  UNDER  THE  WHITE  FLAG,  IN  HAMPTON  ROADS. 
Reference  has  been  made  in  these  pages,  to  the  peculiar  circumstances  of  the  wound- 
ing of  Flag-Lieutenant  Robert  D.  Minor,  in  the  "Merrimac"  fight  on  the  8th  March, 
1862.  The  official  report  of  Fleet-Captain  Franklin  Buchanan  distinctly  states  the  facts 
and  formulates  the  charge,  accepted  by  the  author.  From  that  lengthy  and  detailed  offi- 
cial document  is  reproduced  verbatim  this 

EXTRACT  FROM  REPORT  OF  FLAG-OFFICER  BUCHANAN. 

NAVAL  HOSPITAL, 

NORFOLK,  March  27,  1862. 
To  Hon.  S.  R.  Mallory,  Secretary  of  the  Navy: 


While  the  Virginia  was  thus  engaged  in  getting  her  position,  for  attacking  the  Con- 
gress, the  prisoners  state  it  was  believed  on  board  that  ship  that  we  had  hauled  off;  the 
men  left  their  guns  and  gave  three  cheers.  They  were  soon  sadly  undeceived,  for  a  few 
minutes  after  we  opened  upon  her  again,  she  having  run  on  shore  in  shoal  water.  The  car- 
nage, havoc  and  dismay,  caused  by  our  fire,  compelled  them  to  haul  down  their  colors, 
and  to  hoist  a  white  flag  at  their  gaff  half-mast,  and  another  at  the  main.  The  crew  in- 
stantly took  to  their  boats  and  landed.  Our  fire  immediately  ceased,  and  a  signal  was 
made  for  the  Beaufort  to  come  within  hail.  I  then  ordered  Lieutenant-Commanding  Par- 
ker to  take  possession  of  the  Congress,  secure  the  officers  as  prisoners,  allow  the  crew  to 
land,  and  burn  the  ship.  He  ran  alongside,  received  her  flag  and  surrender,  from  Com- 
mander William  Smith  and  Lieutenant  Pendergrast,  with  the  side-arms  of  those  officers. 
They  delivered  themselves  as  prisoners  of  war  on  board  the  Beaufort,  and  afterward 
were  permitted,  at  their  own  request,  to  return  to  the  Congress,  to  assist  in  removing  the 
wounded  to  the  Beaufort.  They  never  returned,  and  I  submit  to  the  decision  of  the  De- 
partment whether  they  are  not  our  prisoners.  While  the  Beaufort  and  Raleigh  were 
alongside  the  Congress,  and  the  surrender  of  that  vessel  had  been  received  from  the  com- 
mander, she  having  two  white  flags  flying,  hoisted  by  her  own  people,  a  heavy  fire  was 


Appendix.  375 

opened  upon  them  from  the  shore  and  from  the  Congress,  killing  some  valuable  officers 
and  meu.  Under  this  fire  the  steamers  left  the  Congress;  but  as  I  was  not  informed  that  any 
injury  had  been  sustained  by  those  vessels  at  that  time,  Lieutenant-Commanding  Parker 
having  failed  to  report  to  me,  I  took  it  for  granted  that  my  order  to  him  to  burn  her  had 
been  executed  and  waited  some  minutes  to  see  the  smoke  ascending  from  her  hatches. 
During  this  delay  we  were  still  subjected  to  the  heavy  fire  from  the  batteries,  which  was 
always  promptly  returned. 

The  steam  frigates  Minnesota  and  Roanoke,  and  the  sailing  frigate  St.  Lawrence,  had 
previously  been  reported  as  coming  from  Old  Point ;  but  as  I  was  determined  that  the 
Congress  should  not  again  fall  into  the  hands  of  the  enemy,  I  remarked  to  that  gallant 
young  officer,  Flag-Lieutenant  Minor,  "  that  ship  must  be  burned."  He  promptly  volun- 
teered to  take  a  boat  and  burn  her,  and  the  Teazer,  Lieutenant-Commanding  Webb,  was 
ordered  to  cover  the  boat.  Lieutenant  Minor  had  scarcely  reached  within  fifty  yards 
of  the  Congress,  when  a  deadly  fire  was  opened  upon  nitn,  -wounding  him  severely  and 
several  of  his  men.  On  witnessing  this  vile  treachery,  I  instantly  recalled  the  boat 
and  ordered  the  Congress  destroyed  by  hot  shot  and  incendiary  shell. 

FRANKLIN  BUCHANAN,  Flag  Officer. 


DEPRECIA  TION  OF  CONFEDERA  TE  CURRENCY. 

In  the  chapters  on  Finance  and  Dollars  and  Cents,  reference  has  been  made  to  the 
rapid  depreciation  of  C.  S.  Treasury  notes.  The  condensed  table  appended — gathered 
from  most  reliable  data — will  explain  this  more  clearly  than  could  a  volume  : 

RELATIVE  VALUE  OF  GOLD  FROM  JANT ARY   I,  lS6l,   TO  MAY  12,  1865. 

1861  . — January  ist  to  May  ist,  5  per  cent.;  to  October  ist,  10  per  cent.;  October  isth, 
12  per  cent.;  November  isth,  15  per  cent.;  December  ist,  20  per  cent. 

1  862. — January  ist,  20  per  cent.;  February  ist,  25  per  cent.;  February  isth,  40  per 
cent.;  March  ist,  50  per  cent.;  March  isth,  65  percent.;  April  ist,  75  percent.;  April  isth, 
80  per  cent.;  May  ist.  90 per  cent.;  May  isth,  95  per  cent.;  June  isth,  2  for  i;  August  ist,  2.20 
for  i;  September  ist,  2.50  for  i. 

1  863.— February  ist,  3  for  i;  February  isth,  3.10  for  i;  March  ist,  3.25  for  i;  March 
iSth,  5  for  i;  May  isth,  6  for  i;  June  ist,  6.50  for  i;  June  isth,  7.50  for  i;  July  ist,  8  for  i; 
July  isth,  10  for  i;  August  isth,  15  for  i;  November  15th,  15.50  for  i ;  December  isth,  21  for  i. 

1864.— March  ist,  26  for  i;  April  ist,  19  for  i;  May  ist,  20  for  i;  August  isth,  21  for  i; 
September  isth,  23  for  i;  October  isth,  25  for  i;  November  isth,  28  for  i;  December  ist,  32 
for  i;  December  3ist,  51  for  i. 

1  865. — January  ist,  60  for  i;  February  ist,  50  for  i;  April  ist,  70  for  i;  April  isth,  So 
for  i;  April  2oth,  100  for  i;  April  26th,  200  for  i:  April  28th,  500  for  i;  April  29th,  800  for  i;      ^ 
April  3oth,  1,000  for  i,  May  ist  ^last  actual  sale  of  Con  federate  notes),  1,200  for  i. 


GENERAL  LEE'S  FAREWELL  ORDER  TO  THE  ARMY  OF  NORTHERN 

VIRGINIA. 

HEADQUARTERS  ARMY  NORTHERN  VIRGINIA, 
GENERAL  ORDER,  )  April  10,  1865. 

No.  9.  | 

After  four  years  of  arduous  service,  marked  by  unsurpassed  courage  and  fortitude,  the 
Army  of  Northern  Virginia  has  been  compelled  to  yield  to  overwhelming  numbers  and 
resources.  I  need  not  tell  the  brave  survivors  of  so  many  hard-fought  battles,  who  have 
remained  steadfast  to  the  last,  that  I  have  consented  to  this  result  from  no  distrust  of  them  ; 
but,  feeling  that  valor  and  devotion  could  accomplish  nothing  that  would  compensate  for 
the  loss  that  must  have  attended  the  continuance  of  the  contest,  I  determined  to  avoid  the 
useless  sacrifice  of  those  whose  past  services  have  endeared  them  to  their  countrymen. 
By  the  terms  of  agreement,  officers  and  men  can  return  to  their  homes  and  there 


376  Appendix. 

remain  until  exchanged.  You  will  take  with  yoit  the  satisfaction  that  proceeds  from  the 
consciousness  of  duty  well  performed  ;  and  I  earnestly  pray  that  a  merciful  Clod  will  ex- 
tend to  you  His  blessing  and  protection.  With  unceasing  admiration  of  your  constancy 
and  devotion  to  your  country  and  a  grateful  remembraiiae  of  your  kind  and  generous  con- 
sideration for  myself,  I  bid  you  an  affectionate  farewell.  R.  E.  LEE,  General. 


GENERAL  JOHNSTON'S  FAREWELL  ORDER  TO  THE  ARMY  OF  TENNESSEE. 

(HEADQUARTERS  ARMY  TENNESSEE, 

GENERAL  ORDER,  )  Near  Greensboro,  N.  C.,  April  27,  1865. 

No.  18.  J 

By  the  terms  of  a  military  convention  made  on  the  26th  instant,  by  Major-General  W.  T. 
Sherman,  United  States  Army,  and  General  J.  E.Johnston,  Confederate  States  Army,  the 
officers  and  men  of  this  army  are  to  bind  themselves  not  to  take  up  arms  against  the 
United  States  until  properly  relieved  from  that  obligation, and  shall  receive  guarantees  from 
the  United  States  officers  against  molestation  by  the  United  States  authorities  so  long  as 
they  observe  that  obligation  and  the  laws  in  force  where  they  reside. 

For  these  objects,  duplicate  muster-rolls  will  be  made  out  immediately,  and  after  the 
distribution  of  the  necessary  papers,  the  troops  will  be  marched  under  their  officers  to 
their  respective  States,  and  there  be  disbanded,  retaining  all  private  property. 

The  object  of  this  convention  is  pacification,  to  the  extent  of  the  authority  of  the  com- 
manders who  made  it.  Events  in  Virginia  which  broke  every  hope  of  success  by  war,  im- 
posed on  its  general  the  duty  of  sparing  the  blood  of  this  gallant  army  and  saving  our 
country  from  further  devastation  and  our  people  from  ruin. 

J.  E.  JOHNSTON,  Genet  al. 

GENERAL    SHERMAN'S    ORDER    ON   HIS   CONVENTION   WITH  GENERAL 

JOHNSTON. 

HEADQUARTERS  MILITARY  DIVISION  OP  THE  MISSISSIPPI. 
SPECIAL  FIELD  ORDER,  \  In  the  Field,  Raleigh,  N.  C.,  April  27,  1863. 

No.  65.  J 

The  General  Commanding  announces  a  further  suspension  of  hostilities  and  a  final 
agreement  with  General  Jolnistou,  which  terminates  the  war  as  to  the  armies  under  his 
command  and  the  country  east  of  the  Chattahoochee. 

Copies  of  the  terms  of  convention  will  be  furnished  Major-Generals  Schofield,  Gillmore 
and  Wilson,  who  are  specially  charged  with  the  execution  of  its  details  in  the  Department 
of  North  Carolina,  Department  of  the  South,  and  at  Macon  and  Western  Georgia. 

##**********!.•: 

General  Schofield  will  procure  at  once  the  necessary  blanks,  and  supply  the  Army 
Commanders,  that  uniformity  may  prevail ;  and  great  care  must  be  taken  that  the  terms 
and  stipulations  on  our  part  be  fulfilled  with  the  most  scrupulous  fidelity,  whilst  those 
imposed  on  our  hitherto  enemies  be  received  in  a  spirit  becoming  a  brave  and  generous 
army. 

Army  Commanders  may  at  once  loan  to  the  inhabitants  such  of  the  captured  mules, 
horses,  wagons  and  vehicles  as  can  be  spared  from  immediate  use  ;  and  the  Commanding 
Generals  of  Armies  may  issue  provisions,  animals  and  any  public  supplies  that  can  be 
spared,  to  relieve  present  wants  and  to  encourage  the  inhabitants  to  renew  their  peaceful 
pursuits,  and  to  restore  the  relations  of  friendship  among  our  fellow-citizens  and  country- 
men. 

Foraging  will  forthwith  cease,  and,  when  necessity  or  long  marches  compel  the  taking 
of  forage,  provisions  or  any  kind  of  private  property,  compensation  will  be  made  on  the 
spot ;  or,  when  the  disbursing  officers  are  not  provided  with  funds,  vouchers  will  be  given 
in  proper  form,  payable  at  the  nearest  Military  Depot. 

By  order  of  MAJOR-GENERAL  W.  T.  SHERMAN. 

L.  M.  DAYTON,  Assistant  Adjutant-General. 


DATE  DUE 


1 

fi  I      J05 

> 

»\/C?j 

|      DEC1 

7  1982 

81QQ9 

j 

n 

1     JANI 

)  2  1996 

|€C'DDE 

D0419 

95 

i 

tes 

8^ 
1 

GAYLORD 

PRINTED  IN  USA. 

if 

000302475 


